The plum tree, which produces plum fruit that we enjoy eating in spring, ripe from spring to autumn and dried throughout the year, is from the Rosaceae family. Various plum trees, grown in many parts of the world, are also grown in almost every part of our country.
Considering the ripening periods of their fruits, plums are divided into the following main groups: early ripening plum (P. cerasifera), Japanese or Italian plum (P. salicina) that ripens in mid-summer, and European plum (P. domestica) that begins to ripen in August. Trees in these groups can grow up to 4-12 m tall. Depending on their species, plum trees may be densely or sparsely branched; some species have thorny branches and some have no thorns.
The leaves of the plum tree are also small or large, in various shapes, with serrated edges and colors in various shades of green, depending on the species. The sepals of the flowers that bloom before the leaves are green and the petals are white. As we explained above, the thin shells of the plum fruit, which ripens in different periods and has different shapes and sizes, are green, yellow, red or purple, depending on the species.
The flesh of the fruit, which is also in various colors, is juicy, sour or sweet, and the single seed in the middle of the fruit is hard. Plums are eaten as greens in the very early period of spring, and later as fresh fruit. Some types of plums are dried and consumed throughout the year as dried fruit or as compote and stewed fruit. Plums are also consumed by making fruit juice, syrup, molasses, jam and drinks.
NUTRITIONAL VALUES
The nutritional values of 100 g. fresh plums are as follows: 66 calories; 0.5 g. protein; 17.8 g. carbohydrates: 0 cholesterol; trace amounts of fat; 0.4 g. fiber; 17 mg. phosphorus; 18 mg. calcium; 0.5 mg. iron; 2 mg. sodium; 299 mg. potassium: 9 mg. magnesium; 300 IU vitamin A; 0.08 mg. vitamin B1; 0.03 mg. vitamin B2; 0.5 mg. vitamin B3; 0.05 mg. vitamin B6; 0.6-0.9 mcgr. folic acid; 4-6 mg. vitamin C and 0.7 mg. vitamin E.
The nutritional value of dried plums is higher than fresh plums. It is also more beneficial to eat them without cooking; when they are made into compote or compote, their vitamin values decrease, but since sugar is added to them, their calories and carbohydrates increase.
BENEFITS TO OUR HEALTH
In addition to the important nutritional values listed above;
Fresh or dried plums are used in folk medicine as a mild astringent. In order to achieve these effects, it is recommended to consume plenty of fresh or dried plums..
