For Prunes, a Shriveling Prospect

Prune growers are between a pit and a hard place this year. Which is worse: the fact that their harvest is only half the size of last year’s or the possibility that no one will notice?

Stung by tricky growing conditions that seemed to be wrong at all the crucial times--cool during pollination, blistering hot just before harvest--this year’s California prune harvest is only about 102,000 tons.

That may seem like a lot of prunes, but last year’s harvest totaled 205,000 tons. California is by far the leading prune producer in the world. More than 70% of the world’s prune supply is grown here--most of it in Sutter County, in the area between Yuba City and Marysville.

What the state really needs is more prune consumers. From last year’s crop, 126,000 tons--more than this year’s total harvest--went unsold and remained in storage at the beginning of this year.

Making matters worse is that prices paid by processors to farmers were negotiated before the extent of the damage was known, which means the farmers will get lower prices than might be expected in a shortage.

“Prune growers are having to make some tough decisions this year,” says Rich Peterson, executive director of the California Prune Board, a group of growers and shippers. “Some of them are scrambling to decide whether to pull out existing prune trees or stick it out and hope things get better.”

Prune growers are not sitting idly by. Here at home, where prune consumption has seen a slight decline over the last five years, promotional efforts are being revamped.

“We’re trying to target a younger audience, particularly women,” says Peterson. “We’re trying to demonstrate to them that prunes are a nutritional product that is convenient, good for you and good tasting.”

And there is hope in Asia. Japan alone bought 24,000 tons of prunes last year and marketers are beginning to promote the fruit in China as well.

But those efforts may have to wait for better times. With the current economic situation in Asia hobbling trade, that push might be put on hold.

As for domestic promotion, because the advertising budget is based at least in part on the amount of prunes to be sold, there’s not much money to spend this year.

“Everybody’s hoping for a better year next year,” Peterson says. “You know, prune trees tend to be alternate-bearing, so after an extremely small crop this year, we hope to be back to at least normal size next year.”

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The only edible parts of the pomegranate are the crimson, jewel-like seeds, but it sometimes seems that any attempt to get at them leaves you with everything in sight stained with bright red juice. The best way is to cut partway through the outer shell, then pull the fruit apart underwater. The dry cottony stuffing floats and the seeds sink. Best of all, the juice doesn’t end up all over you.