As we push into March with stonefruit both peaches and nectarines can be unreliable, the end of the season brings dry fruit when it is picked too late or stored too long and of course we and all retailers try to avoid this fruit but demand stays strong so we continue to buy and invariably we end up with some not so good ones that sneak through.
A far more satisfactory outcome for our customers are some of the fantastic Autumn plums available at this time of the year. A lot of people don’t eat plums and often the reason is that early in the season some of the plums are not so great often because they are picked too early and so not allowed to tree ripen as they should. In addition, there are so many varieties over the season often changing weekly or fortnightly and people feel confused and so opt to buy none at all, March is when the best plums are in store.
We still have a few Tegan Blues available and other varieties but this week it is October Suns from Victoria, great eating and surprisingly cheap. I will recommend a plum every week for the next few weeks. Eat them soft and enjoy the Autumn flavour. We at Harris Farm know our plums - where to buy them and from which farms and we don't call them red plums or black plums, we tell you what they are and will give you some great options over the next month or so. Soon we will have Autumn Giants and Flavourfalls but this week would be in my view one of the best weeks of the year to enjoy plums.
HOW TO PICK
Select plums that are smooth, plump, and fairly firm with colour according to their variety.
HOW TO STORE
Kept in the fridge when soft, they will last five days and lose none of their flavour.
