Want to learn more about prunes? Read below for some interesting trivia...

French Prunes Are Asian
"Prune d'Agen," or the French prune, is the principal variety produced in California. Despite its name, the French prune did not originate in France, but in Western Asia. Historians report that these prunes were first introduced to Europe through Hungary from Turkistan in the 15th Century. Commercial production began in France in comparatively recent times. San Jose nurseryman Louis Pellier introduced the first prunes into California in 1856.

When Is A Plum a Prune?
Botanically speaking, a prune is a plum, but not all plums can become prunes. A fresh plum variety, known as the prune-plum, is one of the few plum varieties that can be dried without severe fermentation. Technically, only dried plums are called prunes, though the term is commonly applied to fresh plums that can be dried successfully.

Putting The Wrinkles In
Harvested fresh prunes are delivered by the grower to dehydrators where the fruit is mechanically spread on wooden drying trays and stacked on small rail cars. These are rolled into 40-foot long concrete tunnels where the fruit is exposed to hot circulating air to dry. It takes about 18 hours at 185ºF to remove about 80 percent of the moisture in prunes.