Heart of Stone

Sticks and stones may break my bones – but stone fruit keeps me healthy!

The PNW is an ideal region for growing a wide variety of stone fruit and summer is our most bountiful time. “Stone fruit” is a term that applies to members of the drupe botanical family.  What distinguishes drupes is the combination of a fleshy, soft exterior paired with a hardened interior (or “stone”), often grown around and protecting the plant’s seed.

The most common stone fruits grown in our region are cherries, apricots, nectarines, peaches, and plums. Olives are also considered a stone fruit, despite their savory flavor profile.  Other stone fruit include mangoes, coconuts, dates, and lychees.

Did you know that raspberries and blackberries are technically stone fruit? Each individual raspberry and blackberry are made up of clusters of tiny drupes, because each globular contains its own very small seed. Remember – for stone fruit we’re thinking of a fleshy exterior, single stoney seed interior. Raspberries apply! Lucky for us, the stoney seeds inside raspberries and blackberries are edible. Can you imagine if we had to pull them all out, like we do with cherry pits?

In Oregon and Washington, stone fruit season spans over months, as varieties give way to one another. The very first stone fruit we see is cherries, followed by apricots. Apricots have a short growing season and a fragile exterior, which makes them hard to pack and transport long distances. Because of this fact, most industrial farms growing apricots either dry them or candy them. If you want the experience of fresh, sweet apricots, farmers’ markets are your chance.

After apricots come peaches and nectarines. Did you know that peaches and nectarines are the same fruit, with only one genetic variation? Peaches have fuzzy, softer flesh, while nectarines have smooth and firm flesh. Other than that, the fruit are genetically identical. It is amazing to reflect on what a huge role that texture difference plays in our experience of the fruit.

Plums and pluots follow peaches. We have yet to see any plums come to Hillsdale, though the peaches and nectarines are abundant. Pluots are a hybrid of apricots and plums, and are very popular. Pluots tend to have the smooth flesh of a plum, while carrying much of an apricots sweetness. Pluots are 75% plum and 25% apricot. Some lesser-known hybrids include plumcots, which are a 50/50 ratio, while apripums are 75% apricot and 25% plum.

When we think of healthy eating, we often gravitate towards the minael-packed produce at the other end of the rainbow – deep green kale, purple cabbage, or dark blue blueberries. Most stone fruit come in shades of pink, red, orange, and yellow. These fruit are still so good for bodies, brimming with vitamin C and antioxidants. Any produce with rich color boasts a lot of nutrients good for the human body. Stone fruit in particular can build your immune system, boost collagen production in your skin, hair and nails, and help keep your bones and teeth strong.

Come to Hillsdale Farmers’ Market this weekend and stock up on your favorite variety of stone fruit!