Stone fruits

Stone fruits are fruits with a thin skin, a middle fleshy region, and a single central stone containing the seed: they include plums, peaches, apricots, and cherries, along with mangoes and olives. Also called drupes, they bruise easily and ripen quickly after harvest, so cold-chain management from orchard to consumer is critical for quality. Their stones contain amygdalin, which can release cyanide when the kernels are crushed, so kernels are a safety consideration in processing, though the flesh itself is entirely wholesome. They are among the most beloved and most perishable of temperate fruits.