This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
Written by Anne Quinn Corr: If I were in charge of the Longmont Farmers Market on Saturdays, I’d have the 1970’s Motown hit by the Supremes, Stoned Love https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2ce7FWOAM8, looping continually these next few weeks. Because “Stone Love” it is these days—stone fruit, that is.
Lines were long for the three stone fruit vendors at the market last Saturday on Stone Fruit day. Ela Family Farms, Morton’s Organic Orchard and Rancho Durazno all had queues that didn’t quit. The season will continue into October with different varieties of summer's special treats. Cherries are winding down now but plums are in and peaches are just beginning.
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.
The signal for us 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.
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.
Apricots are eaten fresh in season, dried for daily enjoyment throughout the year, and the kernels are pressed and used for oil in cooking. Apricot kernels, officially considered hazardous to your health, are regarded by alternative medicine practitioners as a cure for cancer because of the laetrile (vitamin B17) they contain. The USDA nutritional values on apricots make no mention of vitamin B17, but shows by numbers that apricots are extremely rich in vitamins A and C, and provide healthy doses of vitamins B1 and B2. They also have more potassium, iron, calcium and phosphorus than most other fruits and contribute fiber to the diet. Apricots, both in the fresh and dried form, scored in the top ten for fruits that have a high ORAC (oxygen radical absorbing capacity) score and can be a first offense in the battle against cancers and tumors.
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 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2ce7FWOAM8,
oh, yeah
I tell you, I ain't got no other
Mm-hmm
Stoned love, oh, yeah
Plum Crisp (or Apricot, Peach, Nectarine or Pluot)
Makes 8 servings
2 pounds of fresh plums or a mixture of other stone fruit)
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup flour
¾ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup chopped walnuts
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup (1/2 stick) cold butter cut into pieces
½ teaspoon ginger
Preheat oven to 350°F degrees. Spray a glass casserole dish with nonstick spray. Combine plums, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon and pour into pan. In a medium bowl, combine flour with brown sugar, walnuts, and salt. Use a pastry cutter, two knives, or your quick cool fingers to cut in the butter to a coarse crumb texture. Spoon over plum mixture. Bake for approximately 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and plums are bubbly. Serve warm topped with vanilla ice cream lightly dusted with ground ginger if you want to gild the lily.
