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Plums can be eaten fresh, dried to make prunes, used in jams, or fermented into wine and distilled into brandy. Plum kernels contain cyanogenic glycosides, but the oil made from them is not commercially available. In terms of nutrition, raw plums are 87% water, 11% carbohydrates, 1% protein, and less than 1% fat.
Prunus americana, commonly called the American plum, [7] wild plum, or Marshall's large yellow sweet plum, is a species of Prunus native to North America from Saskatchewan and Idaho south to New Mexico and east to Québec, Maine and Florida. [8] Prunus americana has often been planted outside its native range and sometimes escapes cultivation. [9]
Not all plum species or varieties can be dried into prunes. [3] A prune is the firm-fleshed fruit (plum) of Prunus domestica varieties that have a high soluble solids content, and do not ferment during drying. [4] Use of the term "prune" for fresh plums is obsolete except when applied to varieties of plum grown for drying. [5]
Bullaces generally ripen in October–November, rather later than other types of plum, and fruit heavily. They may sometimes be found growing wild in woods or hedgerows, particularly near old farmhouses; others may be found in old gardens or orchards, or can still be purchased from some nurseries.
The flowers have five white petals with reddish or orange anthers. The plums are cherry-like and tend to be quite tart until they fully ripen. [8] They ripen in late summer. It requires low to medium amounts of water to grow, and dry, sandy or loose soil. It grows best in areas with regular sunlight or areas of partial shade.
Plums are grown commercially in orchards, but modern rootstocks, together with self-fertile strains, training and pruning methods, allow single plums to be grown in relatively small spaces. Their early flowering and fruiting means that they require a sheltered spot away from frosts and cold winds.
They are known for being sweet and full of flavour. The fruit is primarily used in fruit preserves and dessert pies, [1] and its juice is commonly fermented for wine or distilled into plum brandy. Some 90% of mirabelle plums grown commercially are made into either jam (70%) or eau de vie (20%). [citation needed]
The plum juice is extracted by boiling smoked plums in water and sweetened with sugar to make suanmeitang. [25] It ranges from light pinkish-orange to purplish black in colour and often has a smoky and slightly salty taste. It is traditionally flavoured with sweet osmanthus flowers, and is enjoyed chilled, usually in summer. [citation needed]