Plums, raw

Plums are eaten most often straight out of hand, but the same sweet-tart flesh works pitted and sliced into a fruit salad, poached in wine or a light syrup, baked into a cobbler or tart, or stewed down into a compote for spooning over yogurt or oatmeal. Halved and grilled, they caramelize slightly and pick up a smoky edge that pairs well with pork or duck, while the raw fruit's brightness plays nicely against cinnamon, vanilla, or almond in baked goods. The skin carries most of the tartness, while the flesh underneath is juicier and sweeter, so the balance shifts depending on how ripe the plum is when it is eaten.

Choose plums that give slightly to gentle pressure at the stem end, since fully firm ones need a few more days at room temperature to ripen before they go in the fridge. At only 46 calories for a typical 151 gram serving, plums are a low-calorie way to add natural sweetness and volume to a snack or dessert without much of a calorie trade-off. The 9.92 grams of sugar per 100 grams is entirely the fruit's own natural sugar, and plums also carry 11% of the Daily Value for vitamin C per 100 grams alongside virtually no sodium.