Farmers’ markets across the country are starting to peak right now. Foodie snobs who only eat corn and tomatoes in season, your time is nigh. For now, local plums, peaches, and nectarines are coming on strong here in Pennsylvania and I have an earworm going when I see them on the vendors’ tables.
The Supremes’ Stoned Love is looping continually for me these next few weeks. Because “Stone Love” it is these days—stone fruit, that is.
The signal that summer is peaking, the fragrant allure of the baskets of peaches and plums at farm stands is a call to enjoy the succulent sweetness here and now. Tree-ripened fruit, which tastes so much better than what is generally available in supermarkets, does not transport well and is best enjoyed close to the source.
The term stone fruit refers to fleshy fruits, called drupes, which have a large seed surrounded by a hard coat. This includes cherries, apricots, plums, nectarines and peaches. Members of the rose family, which is in the genus Prunus, the apricot and peach originated in China, the cherry in Europe and western Asia, and the plum, in the Caucasus Mountains in western Russia.
Of the stone fruits, Prunus armeniaca or apricots are especially noteworthy. They are the favorite fruit of the Hunzas, the healthy inhabitants of the Himalaya mountains, many of whom live well past 100. The only culture in the world that uses apricots as a staple of their diet, the Hunzas consider the apricot tree the staff of life. They are often given as a dowry to seal a marriage and a man who owns apricot trees is considered wealthy.
Pluots are a cross between plums and apricots and are a union that is most successful. Generally red on the exterior and orange inside, the flavor and juiciness are significantly more than the sum of its parts. Try one if you see it, judging ripeness by a gentle yield when you touch (make that caress) the fruit.
Adding stone fruit to your diet can only heighten your appreciation of summer—enjoy it raw or mix it up with an easy dessert. And hum while you bake.
Stoned Love,
oh, yeah
I tell you, I ain't got no other
Mm-hmm
Summer Fruit Crisp (for Apricots, Peaches, Nectarines, Pluots, or Berries)
Makes 6 servings
2 pounds of fresh plums (or an 6 cup mixture of other stone fruit/berries)
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup AP flour
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Topping:
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
¾ cup packed brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup 1 stick) cold butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350°F degrees. Spray a glass casserole dish with nonstick spray. Combine fruit, ¼ cup brown sugar, flour and lemon juice, and pour into pan. In a medium bowl, combine flour with oatmeal, brown sugar, and salt. Use food processor, a pastry cutter, two knives, or your quick cool fingers to cut in the butter to a coarse crumb texture. Spoon over fruit mixture. Bake for approximately 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and fruit is bubbly. Serve warm topped with vanilla ice cream or yogurt if you want to gild the lily.