By definition, a prune is a dried plum. All prunes are plums, but not all plums are prunes. Prune plum varieties can be dried without fermenting while still containing the pits. This is not true of all varieties of plums. The California prune is an offshoot of La Petite d'Agen, a prune plum native of Southwest France. Traditionally the fruit was harvested and sun dried. Today, most of the prunes out on the market are dried through natural gas heated dehydrators. The typical modern process is to harvest the fruit, wash and dehydrate. The fruit is then graded for size and sorted. The fruit is then stored in wooden bins until further processed. Fruit at this stage is referred to in the prune industry as "Natural Condition Fruit". It is believed that the ancient peoples of the Middle East were the first to dry plums to make prunes. Prunes have been prepared for centuries in France, and the prunes from the region around Agen are still considered by many to be the best in the world. The original prune graft stock was brought to California in 1856 by Louis Pellier a French nurseryman who came to California in 1848 in search of gold. By 1900 prune orchards covered approximately 90,000 acres. Today, there are more than 75,000 "high production" acres concentrated in the Sacramento, Santa Clara, Sonoma, Napa and San Joaquin Valleys. These acres produce approximately 99% of the United States production and an average of 70% of the world supply. Today the D'Agen prune coming from California is known as the California French Prune. Just 3 medium prunes make up a single serving of healthy goodness. How good? Prunes are a great source of fiber. Prunes are also good sources of Vitamin A, Potassium, Iron, Vitamin C, Folic Acid and plant Phytochemicals.

 

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