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D'vorahDavida
Yetzirah

Plum Problem
Thu Jul 08 2004


My neighbor D. and I went on an excursion to Whole Foods Market today. In case you have never heard of it, it's an upscale natural foods store plus an, up up up scale deli and bakery. (Slabs of cooked rare beef, sushi made while you watch, already cooked meatballs the size of billiard balls, fruit tarts that cost 7.00 for one serving. . . You get the idea.)

Thank goodness, they also have everyday things that are not so scary to consider purchasing.

I was in search of tea, she for some special bread her hubby likes and some sort of reasonably priced whole vanilla beans.

I struck out with the Numi Golden Chai. No such luck. But I did fine Republic of Tea's Blackberry Sage in bulk. Bought a little bag, hoping to find the teabags at a later date.

We wandered past mountains of pre-packaged mini-cookies and square marshmallows in pink and white. The cookies cost 5.49 for a 12 oz package. "Egg and Dairy Free!" I thought to myself: So you are telling me I'm paying 5.49 for fake fat, sugar and flour?
I passed them up. Even though I was looking for something special for dessert since Hub Man's mother is coming to dinner tonight. I have stew in the crock pot and I bought some fresh mozzarella to have with tomatoes and basil. I ended up getting a whopping big piece of creme filled brownie with chocolate frosting on it that we can split, for 1.79.

We wandered all over that store and looked at everything. Much of it things we could not afford, or considered overprice. 7.99 for a 4 oz. jar of pesto? Get out! We can make that from stuff in our own garden! Talk about your overwhelming consumer experience! It was dazzling. So was my bill when I checked out.

I do have one very important question for you. I bought 4 or 5 of the most captivatingly beautiful red plums while on my Whole Foods adventure. When I got them home and had put all the other groceries away, I washed one off and bit into it. The flesh was sweet but the skin sour. So I had to stand over the sink, peeling and slurping and dripping my way through this plum. It was great. But I thought... what would I do if I was eating this thing in public? Emily Post would faint dead away.

How does one gracefully eat a ripe plum? (Not a freestone one either....no cheating!)




12 Comments
  • From:
    Allimom (Legacy)
    On:
    Wed Jul 07 2004
    Gracefully eating a ripe plum, peach, nectarine, prune or apricot is like eating soup with chopsticks. It ain't gonna happen. When in doubt, wrap it in a paper towel, and use that to sop up all juices emitted from you or the fruit while eating it!

    Hey, I was told by a little bird (dustbunny) that you are the canning expert extrodinaire. So... which type of canner would you recommend to a person who has never canned in her life, and is all thumbs?
    Alli
  • From:
    Enchantedbutterfly (Legacy)
    On:
    Wed Jul 07 2004
    Eating fruit is never a dainty task. I remember this time I was sitting at my desk eating lunch and I popped a grape in my mouth and bit down. The juice sprayed down my windpipe and I began chocking and coughing and turning red…actually I do that quit a bit! LOL Also when I eat a grapefruit I often have juice running down my chin. So I have learned that fruit gobbling should be done in private because when it comes to manners, the gloves come off. LOL
  • From:
    Calichef (Legacy)
    On:
    Wed Jul 07 2004
    In my experience with plums, all of them have sour skins. As for how to eat one in public, I could only suggest cutting bites off with a knife. However, I think it's kind of like eating corn on the cob or ribs, it's an inherently messy food, and you just jump in and eat it, trying not to get it all over yourself.
    ~Cali
  • From:
    Pragmatist (Legacy)
    On:
    Wed Jul 07 2004
    One does not gracefully eat a ripe plum. Forget about it. And if dear Emily is in the neighborhood, turn your back and slurp away!

    I shopped at Whole Foods once and nearly fainted. I managed to find some salmon that was almost within my budget, so I bought it. Ended up making three servings of it. So I guess it was economical after all.

    Shalom

    PS. I like your new look. But I liked the old one, too.
  • From:
    ImNotLisa (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Jul 08 2004
    It isn't possible, you just can't do it. Get a sharp knife and slice if it you want to keep from dribbling.
    Have you tried a pluot yet? Get a reddish one, the yellows aren't so good (in my opinion).
  • From:
    Salamander (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Jul 08 2004
    Why would you want to eat one "gracefully"? Not slurping it ruins half the experience.
  • From:
    Allimom (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Jul 08 2004
    So, if I want to can green beans, but not use a pressure canner, can I add lemon juice to the water to counter the whole acidity thing?
    Alli
  • From:
    MagicWhiskey (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Jul 08 2004
    Oooo there's a tree full of red plums in my soon to be ready for inhabiting house. I drive by for periodic raids. Good thing I keep tons of baby wipes in the car. They do drip like crazy.
  • From:
    Bookworm (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Jul 08 2004
    Wow, what a delicious mess. In answer to your question - a pavlova is a lovely Australian dessert. The base is made of meringue (egg whites whipped with sugar and baked in the oven). Once that's cool you pile on fresh whipped cream and whatever fruit you have on hand - bananas, kiwi fruit, strawberries, pineapple, and trickled over with passionfruit. I'll see if I can find a pic online and let you know when I do. It's a scrummie summer time desseret. ;-)
  • From:
    Bookworm (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Jul 08 2004
    Okay, here's a link with a good pic and the story of how the dessert was first created. http://www.foodiesite.com/articles/2004-03/pavlovas.jsp ;-)
  • From:
    InStitches (Legacy)
    On:
    Fri Jul 09 2004
    The only way to eat a fresh plum is the way you did it; over the sink and slurp away. :)

    The best plums I have ever eaten are Satsumas. They are a freestone plum that have both a deep wine colored skin and flesh. The color is unbelievable. They make very pretty as well as tasty syrups and jams. Unfortunately, I have never seen them available commercially. My mother grew them for years and now I have a tree of my own. It is loaded with fruit this year. I can hardly wait til they are ripe.
  • From:
    Bogomils (Legacy)
    On:
    Sat Jul 10 2004
    We have a store here called the Co-op. It is a cooperation of individuals who resell organic or wholesome foods for a little above wholesale. You have to be a "member". Working members pay the bottom price while non-working members add 3% to the total bill. Vanilla beans are so darn cheap there that I wouldn't dare look at them in any other store otherwise I would faint. Lately, I have noticed that the price of vanilla extract is climbing through the roof.

    Bright Blessings........ Bogo