Pluots have the initial appearance of a mottled plum. Most pluot varieties are extremely sweet, often spicy, low-acid fruits with a juicy, chin-dripping tender firm flesh, qualities that the fruit was developed to achieve.
Fun Fact: The pluot is 60 percent plum and includes more than 20 varieties, each with a unique color and flavor.
The fruit has yellow or whitish flesh, a delicate aroma, and a skin that is either velvety (peaches) or smooth (nectarines) in different cultivars. The flesh is very delicate and easily bruised in some cultivars, but is fairly firm in some commercial varieties, especially when green.
Peaches, along with cherries, plums and apricots, are stone fruits (drupes). There are various heirloom varieties, including the Indian Peach, or Indian Blood Peach, which arrives in the latter part of the summer, and can have color ranging from red and white, to purple.
Fun Fact: Spaniards brought peaches to South America and the French introduced them to Louisiana.