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Prunes, a good source of fiber, have long been recognized as a nutrient-rich fruit with
multiple health benefits. But according to a recent study from Tufts University in Boston,
prunes may also help slow the aging process in both the body and brain. The study ranks
the antioxidant value of commonly eaten fruits and vegetables using an analysis called
ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity). Prunes top the list with more than twice the
level of antioxidants than other high-scoring fruits such as blueberries and raisins.
Prune trees were introduced to North American soil in 1856 by Louis Pellier, a French
nurseryman who had come to California in 1848 in search of gold. After his unsuccessful
mining venture, Pellier purchased land in the fertile Santa Clara Valley (1850) and went
back into the nursery business. His brother, Pierre, joined him in 1851, and in 1854
Pierre returned to France to secure a variety of fruit cuttings for nursery stock. The
original D'Agen prune graft stock was in the selection he brought back to California in
1856. By 1900, prune orchards in California covered approximately 90,000 acres. Today, as
technology has greatly improved yield per acre, there are more than 80,000 high production
acres concentrated in the Sacramento, Santa Clara, Sonoma, Napa and San Joaquin Valleys.
Currently, these acres produce more than twice as
many prunes as the rest of the world combined: approximately 99% of United States
production and an average 70% of the world supply.
Today the D'Agen prune coming from California is known as the California
French Prune and constitutes approximately 99% of the state's production. Other commercial
varieties produced in California are Imperials, Robes de
Sergeant, Sugar, and other varieties, all of which constitute less than 1% of the state's
production.
The source for everything Prune.
http://www.prunes.org/
Follow this link to the buying guide for Prunes. http://www.prunes.org/buy1.html
For the fascinating history of Prunes in California go to this link:
http://www.prunes.org/ho4cal.html
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