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This week we welcome the first of our pluot varieties to the CSA box ! You might remember this week’s variety, the Dapple Dandy, from summers past as the “dino egg” fruit; thanks of course to their distinctive green and pink speckles.
The pluot is a hybrid of the plum and apricot. This divine creature is a not so distant cousin of the aprium. Both were developed through cross breeding by the fruit hybrid genius Floyd Zaiger. Zaiger creates all of his hybrid the old fashion way through cross pollination and painstaking trial and error. A fascinating blend of mad scientist and archetypal small farmer – his passion for fruit breeding knows no equal. Over the past 50 years he’s develped over 100 new breeds which have radically impacted the global fruit market.
The pluots are one of his more famous and profitable creations and once you taste a few, you’ll have no doubt why! The traits of each variety can differ, but their near candy sweetness, floral flavor hints, crisp yet soft texture and sweet skin make them uniformly delicious.
Better yet, they are highly nutrious. Pluots along with plums are espe- cially rich in a special class of antioxidants called phenols that improve memory by supporting brain cell health. Some studies have even shown them to help reduce the incidence and effects of Alzheimer’s disease in the elderly. What’s more, their high levels of vitamins C and K act to help the body to absorb iron and form blood clots, making them an excellent supporter of bone health.
We’ll continue to have pluots in many varieites over the course of the next few weeks to keep your tastebuds busy. Let us know which one is your favorite at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frog-Hollow-Farms- CSA/117110351633136.
