It's Stone Fruit season, and we have an amazing variety of peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots and – arriving now – pluots and apriums!  In fact, there are so many varieties that even we get confused sometimes, so here's a little lesson in fruit, with help from the California Tree Fruit Agreement and from Fruit and Veggies: More Matters. We're reaching the peak of season, so be sure to hurry into Central Market and pick up some sweet, juicy fruits to help you cool off in the summer heat!

Peaches & Nectarines
While there are many individual varieties of peaches and nectarines, there are two major types: yellow and white flesh. Yellow peaches and nectarines are ready-to-eat when they yield to gentle palm pressure and have a balance of sweet and tart flavors. White peaches and nectarines are naturally less tart and can be ready-to-eat when still firm and crunchy.

Plums
Plums generally have tart skin and sweet flesh. As plums ripen and soften, the skin becomes less tart and the flesh sweeter. Plum flavor can’t be judged by its color – whether red, black, purple, yellow or green, each one has a unique flavor.

Pluots (pronouced PLOO-ought)
Pluots are hybrid fruits that are part plum and part apricot in heritage. Pluots have a majority of plum parentage and therefore, have smooth skin like plums. There are about 20 varieties of pluot in the world, and they vary in size, skin color and flesh color. The skin can be solid, striped, or speckled and skin colors range from yellow-green to black. Pluot flesh ranges from white to red in color.

Apriums
The aprium is another plum and apricot hybrid, but with mostly apricot heritage. Like apricots, apriums have slightly fuzzy skin. Pluots and apriums are known for their sweetness and flavor; the sugar content of these fruits is much higher than that of a plum or apricot alone.

Clingstone, Freestone and Semi-Freestone
Stone fruits can be clingstone, freestone or semi-freestone. In clingstone varieties, the flesh holds fast to the fruit’s pit, while the flesh of freestone varieties is easily separated from the pit. In semi-freestone varieties, the fruit’s flesh easily separates from the pit when the fruit is fully ripened. As a general rule, early season peaches and nectarines are clingstone, moving to freestone in the peak season. Late season peaches are generally freestone and late season nectarines return to clingstone. Most plum varieties are clingstone.