By April Reese
University of
Georgia
If you’re looking for a sweet way to take your vitamins,
eating
pluots may soon be your solution.
Pluots are hybrid fruits from a cross of plums and apricots.
These sweet fruits are packed with essential vitamins, says Judy
Harrison, an extension nutrition specialist with the University
of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences.
Harrison believes we will pluots will soon be showing up in
Georgia grocery stores. They’re high in vitamins A and C and are
a good source of potassium. Pluots are also low in fat. They’re
sodium-free, saturated fat-free and cholesterol-free.
Plums + Apricots = Pluots
An early summer crop, pluots are available from May to
September.
They have a smooth skin like a plum. Inside, they’re a juicy mix
of sweet fruit flavors. Colors range from red and purple to
yellow-green.
Use pluots in sauces or as a sweetener. Bake them into
breads,
or
use them sliced in salads.
Harrison offers a few tips on selecting the right pluots.
“The fruit should be plump with consistent skin color and firm
texture,” she said. “Avoid pluots with soft spots or ones that
are green.”
If you buy them too early, place them in a closed paper bag at
room temperature until they ripen. Then put them into the
refrigerator crisper bin.
Several Varieties Available
There are a number of varieties, Harrison said, depending on
the
flavor you want accentuated.
Flavor Rich pluots are “a unique breed of fruit that tastes at
first like a sweet plum and then like an apricot,” she said. “Its
skin is almost black, and its flesh is an amber color. The taste
is ‘zingy’ or ‘zesty.’”
Flavor Rich pluots are three-fourths plum and one-fourth
apricot.
Dapple Dandy pluots look more like apricots with a pinkish skin
with maroon flecks. It’s also known as “Dinosaur Egg” because of
its speckles and abnormally large size. The taste is described as
half plum, half apricot.
Flavor King pluots are hybrids bred with the Santa Rosa plum.
They’re very large and resemble huge, heart-shaped Santa
Rosas.
“The taste is described as almost effervescent,” Harrison
said.
“It’s said to be one of the highest-flavored pluots ever
developed.”
The inner color of the Flavor King is unique with its bright
red
to yellow fading colors. It looks orange near the pit.
Some California varieties are Flavor Heart, Hand Grenade, Blue
Gusto and Candy Stripe.
