I’ve gotten some plums lately that have a pit which has separated inside the fruit. It hasn’t been all my plums (I’ve been canning, so I have a large sample size), but maybe a third to a half. Some of them are just split in half, but some (maybe the riper ones?) have rather large open spaces in the middle, with up to a half-dozen pieces of pit. Sometimes there’s something that I’m assuming is a seed, looks rather like an almond. Sometimes there’s some clear, damp crystallized stuff as well. It’s not something I’ve ever seen before, but I don’t eat a lot of plums (these are red plums, in case that matters). Anyone know what’s going on?
ETA: Wasn’t sure if this ought to go in Cafe Society or General Questions, please move as necessary.
I don’t have an answer for you, Runcible, but I’ve had a similar thing, only with fresh apricots/peaches (not a plum fan). This condition usually results in a not-worth-eating piece of fruit, IMO, so it’s annoying. And the crystallized stuff is worrisome. I generally just toss it when this happens.
It’s called a split pit and is fairly common in stone fruit. It is the result of temperature fluctuations during the growth cycle. Generally, it is purely cosmetic and doesn’t change how the fruit will eat. But, it does make a handy cavity for insects to inhabit which, I suspect, has resulted in the “crystals” you mentioned.
[quote=“Ol_Gaffer, post:5, topic:515385, full:true”] But, it does make a handy cavity for insects to inhabit which, I suspect, has resulted in the “crystals” you mentioned.
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That will teach the OP to consult the Internet on anything.