Prunes: No Longer a Laughing Matter

It’s time to replace prune jokes with a riddle: If all prunes are plums, are all plums prunes? The short answer is no. The prune plum is a specific cultivar, Prunus domestica L. cv d’Agen, with specific characteristics. Based on their nutrient profile and demonstrated health benefits, prunes certainly are no longer a laughing matter.

Agriculturist brothers Louis and Pierre Pellier brought the Petite d’Agen plum from France to California during the Gold Rush and grafted it onto w…