Stonefruit – radio chat & recipe ideas – Dani Valent

I try to appreciate nature’s bounty with every mouthful but I am especially in awe of peaches: I find it so amazing that this fuzzy fruit’s seed is protected by flesh that’s so evocative, sweet and juicy. Practical propagation probably doesn’t need to be this delicious but YES, I’m glad it is! As peaches and other stonefruits are in season right now, I thought they were a good topic to tackle on this week’s radio chat.

As you’ll hear, this is my last time on air with the wonderful, warm Clare Bowditch – she’s leaving the ABC to focus on music and writing projects. It’s been my honour and pleasure to hang with her and her lovely audience over the past couple of years.

Enjoy the chat, my stonefruit primer and the recipe suggestions below.

Botanical boffins

Stonefruits are from the family of plants called drupes. Drupes (I love this word!) have a fleshy outer and a stone within with a seed or kernel hidden inside. Surprisingly, raspberries are drupes, because each tiny segment has a pit. Olives, almonds and coffee also fit into this category, though almonds and coffee are a bit different in that humans eat the seed.

In common parlance, we usually think of stonefruits as the genus prunus: plums, peaches, nectarines and apricots.

So seasonal

I love the way the seasons roll, starting with peaches and nectarines, following with apricots and lastly plums. Australia has around 1200 commercial stonefruit growers, producing around 100,000 tonnes of summer stonefruit each year, starting in October and going through to April. Swan Hill and the Goulburn Valley are Victoria’s biggest suppliers and our mangos come from Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Storage

Keep stonefruit on the bench not the refrigerator. If you have an oversupply, cut them up and freeze the flesh for smoothies, sorbets and cocktails.

Spicy Peach and Mango Jam Glazed Ham

Stonefruit and ham makes my Australian Christmas festive and delicious. I try to make enough jars to give as gifts and also to last me for the whole year.

Peach Margarita

If there’s a better use of bounteous peaches than to pop them in a cocktail, I haven’t found it yet.

Plum Syrup Cake

An easy cake with almond meal and a swirl of plum syrup. It’s great with any stonefruits!

Plum Syrup Cake

Black Rice Pudding

You can layer your pudding with any fruit but I always try to have some stonefruit in the mix. Have this for breakfast or dessert.

Black Rice Pudding

Apricot Coconut Cobbler

Such an easy dessert, so kid-friendly and adaptable. Use any fruit you like, serve it with yoghurt, cream or ice cream: cobbler time is always a good time.

Matcha Smoothie Bowl

I love building my smoothie bowls up with stonefruit when in season. Also, you can whizz some ripe mango or peach through the mixture for extra sunshine and sweetness.

Matcha Smoothie Bowl

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