When do red-heart plums ripen and hit the market? A full breakdown of their benefits and taste characteristics
The red-fleshed plum variety is one of the more widely grown types of plum, so do you know what kind of effects this fruit has? Let's find out together!
The plum planting area in Tai'an Township is about 200 hectares, mainly red-fleshed plums, with an annual output of about 1.5 million kg. "Tai'an plums" are grown organically and without toxins; every fruit is bright red in color and large in size, with flesh that strikes a balance between sweet and tart, making them very popular with consumers.
The peak season for the "red-fleshed plum" of Tai'an Township is May to June every year. Farmers go up the mountain early in the morning to pick them fresh that same day, guaranteeing freshness. After being left for two to four days, the skin turns red-black and the sweetness becomes higher; in addition, they also have a distinctive flavor after being pickled.
The production period of red-fleshed plums is always before the Dragon Boat Festival. Because the skin, flesh and juice are all an appealing red, they have become the most "red" sacrificial fruit for the Dragon Boat Festival. Good-quality red-fleshed plums are covered with a faint bloom of fruit powder -- white with a rosy glow showing through.
Red-fleshed plums have a highly representative Taiwanese flavor -- crisp and sweet with a touch of tartness. However, the plum season is short and the fruit does not keep well, so if you want to taste an authentic Taiwanese fruit flavor, be sure to seize May and June! If you miss it, don't be disappointed: food factories preserve the deliciousness in glass bottles as plum wine, and in packaging bags as the "plum salt" that you and I have eaten since childhood.
Fleshy plums have cancer-preventive and health-promoting effects, with advantages such as promoting metabolism, relieving fatigue, aiding digestion and promoting cholesterol metabolism. Miaoli County's Tai'an Township ranks first in Taiwan for peach and plum output, and is famous far and wide.
