Plums conjure up wonderful images: plum pudding, sugar plums, nursery rhymes, the best of anything, as in a plum of a job.

And when you hear of Red Beauty and Black Beauty, it's not horses but plums that are the subject.

Red and Black Beauty plums are the most popular plums around in summer, most of them coming from California. In August, of course, you'll find more of the purple/blue Italian prune plums. But right now, revel in the Beauties, which, while one has red skin and the other has black, both have yellow interiors.

When you buy plums, pick ones that have a firm but not tight skin. They should feel as if they are starting to soften. At home, store plums in an open basket at room temperature for a few days until they soften and are fully ripe, then place in refrigerator until you're ready to use them. You'll know if the plums become overripe because the flesh around the pit will have darkened. If so, just remove the darkened flesh and use the rest of plum in your recipe.