Ate the first one today. Firm (but not not crunchy after spending a week on a counter), sweet and juicy. Brix was 20. We were pleased. The size was very large for a plum, which is aptly named.
A very good, late season large plm. A keeper.
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Here it is an inconsistent cropper and prone to pitch pockets which are pockets of hardened flesh that ruin the fruit and can’t be determined until you open them up. However, to me they are the best tasting J. plum when perfect and worth having if you have the room.
And mine have never reached 20 brix. I wonder if it is related to your location. Do your trees have a lot of vigor with 3’ + shoots coming out of big wood?
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This is a graft from 2018, grafted on a mirabelle plum. My mirabelle is in full sun and has about 10 varieties, mostly Euro plums on it. I don’t know if it needs cross poloination and what crossed pollnated it.
EH graft has grown 4 ft in a year. A friend who bought the tree and gave me the scionwood said his tree has not set fruit yet.
I’m never had any J. plum surpass 18 brix and they are perfectly sweet at about 16. Something about their extra juiciness makes them taste sweeter in ratio to sugar.
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I have two more and will give one to the tree owner. I will measure brix of the secnd one and post.
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My last Elephant Heart dropped on 10/6. Very late. I found it before any critter. Ate it today. It was very sweet. Skin was tart which helped balance the sweetness. Brix was 20.
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Queen of J’s.
Yup. If I were to grow one J plum, this is it. I wish it was more productive, though.
Give it time, it might surprise you. One graft I put on a Santa Rosa last year broke from the weight of all the plums I carelessly left on it this season. Other EH grafts on other trees was the reason I was not concerned because they took off like rockets and put all their energy in big growth without bearing a single plum.
My only full EH tree died last year giving us one more huge crop even though it was dead well before fruit was fully ripe. The fruit actually kept getting sweeter without leaf support and after being harvested lasted in the fridge for 2 months- my wife just loved them.
It’s my wife’s favorite of all the fruit I grow.
The graft I did 2 years ago has grown several feet but set 3 plums this year.
I hope it will settle down and produce fruit next year.
My graft took well on Santa Rosa. It grew nine feet the first year! I cut it in half and it produced about ten branches. I need to remove most of them. No fruit the 2nd year just all the branches. Santa Rosa is my favorite plum. The only one I really like. So liking forward to trying EH. I just harvested about 45 Fall Fiesta pluots today. It has it all, beautiful purple skin which contrasts well to the orange flesh. Flavor is fantastic. A 9 out of ten. Crunchy and still very sweet.
Looking forward to trying EH next year.
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I tried grafting EH 4 different times and none would take. I’m sticking with the best plums in the South,
AU Rubrum and Spring Satin.
Those who have experience with elephant heart - when should they be picked? Mine are getting some blush now.
I ask because my ozark premire become quite mealy when left to tree ripen. I’ve found it’s best taste is when picked firm.
Tree is EH, basket is ozark.
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I must have eaten 20 different types of pluots and plums last year. The most memorable plums were Elephant Heart grown in the Sierra Foothills. Fantastic
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Elephant Heart doesn’t get mushy here if left on the tree too long but they are delicious once the flesh gives in to pressure. You will figure out what point of ripeness is right for you pretty quickly.
I love plums but they can be very time consuming if you want them at the perfect ripeness. With varieties that ripen on the tree at different speeds you sometimes have to feel every plum to know which ones to pick. With the Euros I can always let the grass grow tall and shake the branches gently so the ripe ones drop.
Like @alan Elephant Heart does not get mushy when fully ripens. It has a lot more red color (darker red, not bright red) when it ripens.
My problem with Elephant Heart is lack of productivity and black knot. It does not set well at all and black knot seems to creep up more and more.
Thanks all. These are darn close to harvest. I’ll experiment and pick some, leave some.
I do experience black knot on these, this year was the first I saw it. These are in their 6th leaf and this is also their first crop.
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Judging from the color, I would not call it “darn close”. At least, you should let some color up more than a blush.
Noted, thanks! This is the ripest one. There’s a range of firmness across the tree. I’ll watch it closely this week.
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Nope. Ripe EH will have solidly red flesh.
Why rush?