Peaches, Plums, Pluots, and Pickles

by Jill Klein Matthiasson

This week at the Napa Farmer’s Market the selection of peaches, plums, nectarines, and pluots (all “stone fruit’) is at the height of the season!

So what is a pluot? A pluot is a cross between a plum (75%) and an apricot (25%). The pluot's flavor is dominated by the plum, but it has the mouthfeel of the apricot. Pluots are not to be confused with plumcots, another plum-apricot hybrid, developed by Luther Burbank, or apriums which are 75% apricot and 25% plum.

The pluot  and the aprium were bred by Floyd Zaiger, one of the most important stone fruit breeders in modern times. He has developed  over 100 varieites of fruit, including white-fleshed peaches and nectarines that are found at farmer’s markets around the country. Look for some of the Zaiger varieties that can be found at the Napa Farmers Market in the coming weeks including: Heavenly White Nectarines, Zee Lady Peaches, Zee Glo Nectarines, Flavor Queen Pluots, Dapple Dandy Pluots, Flavor King Pluots and Flavor Supreme Pluots.

The Zee Lady is a yellow-fleshed peach with a vibrant red blush dusted over a warm golden skin. It has a great acid-sugar balance. The Zee Lady's juicy flesh is as great for baking as it is eating out of hand. Zee Lady peaches also freeze very well.

The Heavenly White Nectarine is a very large and firm, white-fleshed freestone. The Heavenly White has superb acid-sugar balance with a rich, complex flavor. The fruit has a dull red and cream-colored skin.


…..and PICKLES

Another exciting feature of the upcoming Napa Farmer’s Market on Saturday, July 28, will be a demonstration by Napa local pickling expert Aram Chakerian. Aram will show market goers how to preserve vegetables by making pickles. This is a follow up to another very interesting demonstration about fermenting vegetables by Napa Farmers Market newcomers Wild West Ferments.

At the July 14 demonstration by Wild West Fermetns, we learned that fermenting foods is not only an age-old way to preserve food, but that the process of fermentation actually makes the food more nutritious. Many common foods and drinks are fermented including bread, cheese, wine, beer, chocolate, coffee, tea, pickles, sauerkraut, vinegar, and yogurt.

PLUM OR PLUOT TART

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), diced
1 egg yolk
2 pounds firm, ripe plums or pluots, pitted and quartered lengthwise

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine the flour, walnuts, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and the egg yolk. Mix, either by hand or with an electric mixer, until crumbly.

Press 1 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture in an even layer into the bottom of a 9 1/2-inch springform or tart pan. Arrange the plums in the pan, skin side down, to form a flower pattern; begin at the outside and work your way in.

Sprinkle the rest of the crumb mixture evenly over the plums. Bake the tart for 40 to 50 minutes, or until it's lightly browned and the plum juices are bubbling. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and transfer the tart to a flat plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.