These two lemon plums have transitioned to their fully-ripened hue and taken on the look of a small tomato.
I’m Back!!
I returned to grocery shopping this week after a year in COVID confinement. Wow! How things have changed at my neighborhood market. I felt like I was in a food spa.
Besides the usual health precautions, Straubs had moved shelving, added an attractive mural around the upper walls, installed protective glass at the checkout counter, and rearranged the deli foods. Charles at the checkout counter said he had missed me. .
I was euphoric at being able to select my own produce and to resume impulse shopping. Instacart served me well these many months, but I’m ready to be on my own. Instacart shoppers don’t know the size of the zucchinis I prefer or how much green I want on my bananas.
Ripened lemon plum
Something New
I spotted a new fruit in the produce section —-well, at least, it was new to me: Lemon Plums. They’ve been available in the U.S. for about five year. Since they’re a little up market, I only invested in two. Mea culpa.
So What Is a Lemon Plum?
If you set the lemon-shaped plums on your kitchen counter, in a few days they’ll become soft and reddish like those at the top of the page.
These plums are grown mainly in Chile. The fruit resembles a lemon, but when ready to eat the fruit is red, sweet and juicy. Sour they ain’t, despite the lemon moniker.
You can add the colorful, small-pitted plum to fresh salads, salsas, cakes, and cheese plates or mix into smoothies along with berries. But they’re best eaten fresh, right from the hand.
Hurry!
By way of full disclosure, I should note that I’m not a plum person. Hmm. . . except when I’m making the New York Times Plum Torte.
Now I wish I’d bought more than just two pieces of the scrumptious fruit. If you want to try some, it’s best to do it ASAP. The variety has a short season (January-March) and is not available in all groceries.
