Posted by Jen Maiser, July 21, 2008 at 6:30 PM
Because a majority of my food comes from the farmers market, I am often tied to the schedule of farmers markets around the Bay Area. I missed my home market twice in a row due to scheduling conflicts in recent weeks, but I made up for it by visiting the brand-new Divisadero Farmers Market and the Napa Farmers Market. I was in Napa for the unbelievably great Taste3 Conference and snuck out between speakers to visit the small, but extremely friendly and adequate, downtown market.
Cruising the markets, I noticed a proliferation of plum and apricot-like stone fruits: pluots, plumcots, apriums, plums, and apricots. It wasn't until I came home and perused the Internet that I figured out the differences. Pluots and plumcots are the same—a hybrid mix of a plum and an apricot—but the pluot is a trademarked version of a plumcot. They tend to resemble plums more than apricots and are usually sweeter than traditional plums. Apriums are a hybrid between plums and apricots that are more like apricots than plums. For a more specific history of plumcots, pluots, and apriums, check out this article from SFist.
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Posted by Ed Levine, June 12, 2007 at 6:48 AM
I've been a Dad for twenty years now, and nothing makes me happier on Father's Day (coming up this Sunday June 17th, by the way) than the gift of noshing. So this year, in order to create more perfect unions and promote filial harmony around the country, give your Dad the perfect edible gift. Here at Serious Eats we're going to make it easy for you to do so. We're going to alert you to the best foods that ship so that no matter where you live you can get your Dad something he will remember for the rest of your life. Today through Thursday we're going to focus on the five Serious Eats Dads' food groups: Barbecue, Ice Cream, Pie, Steaks and Chops, and Stone Fruit (peaches, plums, cherries, nectarines). And we're not going to leave any last-minute Father's Day shoppers in the lurch either. On Friday, we're going to give you our favorite Father's Day book and food gadget gift picks, so that you can go to your local specialty food, cookware, or book store over the weekend and procure something the Dad in your life will surely love. That's the Serious Eats Father's Day Guarantee. Take our advice. Give the Gift of Noshing this year.
