North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Alan Haigh" <alandhaigh@gmail.com>]

I find the fact that several dictionaries include a definition of prunes as plums that can be dried surprising.  My understanding of the definition of prunes as exclusively plums that have been dried does not come simply from local usage but from extensive reading of literature related to commercial fruit growing where I have no memory of encountering this usage.  I have not encountered this usage in any of the many catalogues of commercial and home orchard nurseries that I frequently read.  How about other members?  I don't quite trust my memory on this. I'm much more interested in the usage and understanding of people who are knowledgeable about fruit than the general population.  Dictionaries, of course, are not.