Plums - Vegetable/Fruit Summer Produce

➤ When: Fresh plums are at their peak ripeness in August and September. There are dozens of varieties; some have yellow flesh, some purple, and some green. Italian plums tend to be smaller and have green flesh, and make wonderful jams. Try as many varieties as you can find; you’ll be rewarded with great color and flavor.

➤ What to Look For: Plums that are perfect have a uniform color and sweet scent and yield to gentle pressure with a taut skin. Avoid very firm or hard plums, because they’ve been picked too soon and won’t ripen properly. Ask for a sample.

➤ Why: Because potassium and fiber are found in plums in abundance, eating this fruit is an age-reducing benefit.

➤ How to Use: Eat ripe plums plain or save them for sweet dishes such as jams, desserts, and sweet sauces. They can also be chopped to make a stuffing, diced to make a salsa, and grilled to make an accompaniment for chicken or fish. Plums are good poached in wine with peaches, or stewed with lemon and cinnamon. In addition, plums can be dried to make prunes. Puréed prunes make a good replacement for solid, aging fat in quick-breads.

This Ingredient information was published in 'Cooking The RealAge Way, Turn Back Your Biological Clock with More Than 80 Delicious and Easy Recipes (MICHAEL F. ROIZEN, M.D. and JOHN LA PUMA, M.D.) - p187'