Prunes

By definition, a prune is a dried plum. All prunes are plums, but not  all plums are prunes. Prune plum varieties can be dried without fermenting while still containing the pits. This is not true of all varieties of plums. The California prune is an offshoot of La Petite d’Agen, a pruneplum native of Southwest France. Traditionally the fruit was harvested and sun dried.

It is believed that the ancient peoples of the Middle East were the first to dry plums to make prunes. Prunes have been prepared for centuries in France, and the prunes from the region around Agen are still considered by many to be the best in  the world. The original prune graft stock was brought to California in  1856 by Louis Pellier a French nurseryman who came to California in 1848 in search of gold. By 1900, prune orchards covered approximately 90,000 acres. Today, there are more than 75,000 “high production” acres concentrated in the Sacramento, Santa Clara, Sonoma, Napa and San Joaquin Valleys. These acres produce approximately 99% of the United States production and an average of 70% of the world supply. The  D’Agen prune coming from California is known as the California French Prune.

Most of the prunes out on the market today are dried through natural gas heated dehydrators. The typical modern process is to harvest the fruit, wash and dehydrate. The fruit is then graded for size and sorted. The fruit is then stored in wooden bins until further processed. Fruit at this stage is referred to in the prune industry as  “Natural Condition Fruit”.

Prunes are especially high in antioxidant activity.

Fruit Calories

Fruit Calories are made up of mostly simple carbohydrates, some proteins, and typically very little fat. Of course, there are exceptions such as the avocado.

Fruit is nature’s sugar (the sugar fructose) and can be thought of as a “healthy” carbohydrate. However, during a fat-reducing program, all simple sugars should be eaten in moderation, but don’t go too overboard! Fruit contains many healthy nutrients, such as antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber.

Prunes Calories and Macro-Nutrients