Plums: ideas for making the most of this versatile, fiber-packed fruit

Pick of the Week: Plums

July is almost here, which means so is plum season. Like peaches, plums are firm enough to put on the grill and taste good paired with pork and chicken. Plums can also be tossed into green salads in the place of tomatoes. While you're at it, try releasing a little plum juice into your vinaigrette to infuse the salad greens with plum flavor.

When at your grocery store of farm stand, choose firm, blemish-free plums. The skins should range in color from yellow to deep purple. Here are more ideas for making the most of this juicy, versatile, fiber-packed fruit, plus common varieties to look for:

• The Stanley plum is large, with dark blue skin and green-gold flesh. It's especially juicy and aromatic.
• The Early Golden plum is small with reddish-gold skin. The fruit is sweeter than most plums.
• Santa Rosa is the most common — a dark, red-purple plum with red flesh (sometimes tinged with gold). The fruit is especially firm, so try tossing a few slices into your stir-fry in place of a vegetable.

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