Plums are low-calorie fruits with a low glycaemic index score. So even though they are sweet, eating plums isn't likely to cause unhealthy spikes in your blood sugar levels. They contain useful amounts of vitamin C, which fortifies the body's defences against infection and increases the amount of energy-giving iron that we absorb from food.The phenolic compounds in plums, such as procyanidin, neochlorogenic acid and quercetin, seem to reduce inflammation and help neutralise oxygen damage to cells. In studies, red plums have been found to have a higher phenolic content than their yellow and green equivalents.Where to buy and what to pay
Supermarkets habitually sell English plums picked while hopelessly under-ripe, so they often disappoint. Ready-to-eat plums do find their way to greengrocers and markets, and in growing areas such as Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Norfolk, you can buy them at orchard shops, or even pick your own. Guide price: £4 per kg.
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Plum sauce
This sauce is loosely based on Georgian plum sauce. Of all the recipes I have found, I like Diana Henry's best. It goes really well with barbecued meats.Makes enough sauce to fill a jam jar1 tbsp olive oil
1 banana shallot, sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 heaped tsp cayenne
1½ tsp ground coriander
50ml red wine vinegar
500g plums, halved and stoned
60g dried apricots
2 tbsp honey
150ml water
Juice of ½ lemon or sugar, to taste
4 sprigs dill, finely chopped
Handful coriander, chopped
Salt and black pepper
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Plums are at their best at this time of year and are high in phenolic compounds. Photograph: Tricia De Courcy Ling for the Guardian
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