Yes, plums are a stone fruit, also called a drupe, denotes a fruit with a large stone inside. The stone is sometimes mistakenly called the seed; the seed is, in fact, inside the stone. South African stone fruit growers produce plums, peaches, apricots, nectarines, and cherries – a total of around 350 000 tons of stone fruit per year!
In the winter months, plums are grown and harvested in the southern hemisphere in exotic locations like South Africa. USA grown plums are only available in the summer months.
In South Africa, the climate is much like the Mediterranean with warm days and cooler nights. This, coupled with the rich soil makes for a great growing location of fruit, like plums. South African plums are so sweet because of the weather patterns that allow the fruit to cool when dormant, which adds natural sugars to the fruit – and thus, accentuates the flavor!
