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8 Prune Varieties (Different Varieties of Prunes)

Dried prunes on a small dish.

What are Prunes?

Prunes are plums that have been dried. They’re made from special plum kinds that are meant to be dried instead of eaten fresh. Prunes cannot be made from all plum species or types. Unlike other types of plums, prunes have pits that are easier to remove from the flesh.

Plums are generally consumed while they are still fresh, while Prunes are frequently dried or processed into prune juice once they have finished becoming plums. They are a very healthy dried fruit and are often eaten as a snack whole or mixed with nuts.

Prunes have a plum-like flavor with a delicious, concentrated sweetness from the drying process. They are one of the plumpest dried fruits and are sticky and chewy.

Some Health Benefits of Prunes

Gastrointestinal benefits

Prunes have a lot of fibre, both soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibre aids in digestion and the absorption of nutrients from your food, whilst insoluble fibre aids in the regularity of your bowel movements. Prunes can help you maintain gastrointestinal health by facilitating regular bowel motions if you eat a plate or two.

Strengthens bones and muscles

Dried prunes are a good source of boron, a mineral that helps create strong bones and muscles. It could also aid in the development of mental clarity and muscular strength.

Lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels

Research has shown that Prunes can lower high blood pressure and cholesterol, two important risk factors for heart disease. The high fibre, potassium, and antioxidant content of plums and prunes appear to influence heart disease risk factors.

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Prunes are an excellent source of energy and do not cause a rapid rise in blood sugar levels.

Prunes are also rich in Vitamins A, B6, C, and K. They are also good sources of iron, manganese, and copper.

Prunes are also high in potassium, a mineral that aids in the healthy functioning of your muscles, neurons, and heart.

Different varieties of Prunes

Prunes come from freestone plum trees, which means the pit is easier to remove than fresh plums, which are clingstone. The majority of prunes come from European plum varieties. These are usually oval and freestone, whereas Japanese clingstones are circular.

French Prune

When it comes to preserving or drying plums, the French Prune Plum is a fantastic option. The drupe fruit is shaped like a tiny pear and is long and oblong. The dark, smokey skin contains purple and light blue colors and is covered with dark amber flesh.

The fruit of the French Prune Plume tree is available to harvest in late June. The ‘Improved French Prune,’ which produces some of the finest and sweetest prunes available, is the most popular type in the United States.

Italian Prune Plum

Italian prune plums have a sweet flavor and are commonly dried as prunes. Like the French Prune, the Italian Prune is a large, oblong, egg-shaped plum with a powdery coating on purple-blue skin. This freestone plum has green-amber juicy flesh that cooks to a deep fuchsia color. The sweetness of the plum tree’s fruit increases as it ripens.

Although Italian prune plums can be eaten fresh, the majority of the harvest is dried to make prunes.

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Moyer Plums

Three Moyer Plums in a wine glass.

Moyer plums are a common purple plum variety that is one of the most popular. These plums have a rich burgundy to purple exterior and a juicy yellow-orange to amber flesh and are highly sweet. For its shape and flavor, this plum type is regarded as one of the greatest in Europe.

Moyer plums are huge, oval-shaped plums with high sugar content. This plum variety is wonderful to eat fresh and is frequently dried to make sweet prunes.

Moyer plums ripen later in the season than other plums. By gently squeezing the plums’ skin, you can detect if they’re ripe. If the fruit is ripe, your fingers should leave a little indentation. You should wait until the flesh is ripe if it feels hard or does not yield slightly.

Agen prune

The Ente plum tree thrives in the Aquitaine region of France, and its dried fruit is known as Agen prunes. They were named after the town of Agen, which was located on the Garonne River and served as a major port for the movement of dried fruits throughout France and Europe.

When they are plums, they have very thin purplish-red skin, and the prunes are a dark purple with hints of blue on them.

Mirabelle Prunes

Mirabelle plums on a white dish.

Mirabelle plums, also known as cherry plume or mirabelle prune, are wild fruit from the European plum family developed and farmed in Anatolia. However, because of import limitations from Lorraine, France, where it is grown, this plum fruit variety is actually banned in the United States.

The mirabelle plums are quite sweet and have a flavor that is both delectable and subtle. Fruit preserves and sweets, such as pies, are made with Mirabelle fruit collected from its plum trees. The juice, on the other hand, can be fermented into wine or distilled into plum brandy. The best way to enjoy this plum is to eat it fresh and raw.

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Brooks Prunes

A European variety of prunes. They are large and have purplish-black fruits. Their yellowish flesh is sweet and great for eating fresh, drying out, or canning. This type of Prune originated from Oregon!

Shropshire Prunes

The Shropshire prune is one of many Damson plum varieties. They’re deep purple with yellow flesh, oval-shaped, and longer than other types.

When eaten fresh, these little plums have a harsh flavor. Although most people dislike the taste of a fresh Damson, it can be made much better by drying and frying.

When these plums are allowed to mature into prunes, baked, stewed, or cooked, their flavor changes, becoming sweet, rich, and savory.

There are various species of Damson trees, but many people believe the Shropshire prune Damson tree to have the best-tasting fruits.

Aylesbury Prunes

The Aylesbury Prune is an oval-shaped, small to medium-sized fruit. It has a blue-black skin tone. Because of its late ripening, the Aylesbury Prune can be harvested in October, long after other types have ended. It has a sweet, somewhat acidic flavor that makes it ideal for cooking.

Final thoughts

We hope reading through this article helped you learn about the different types of Prunes and some of the health benefits they have to offer!