I suspect there is a mistake in identity. We are within a few days of each other. Castletons are small, slightly oblong with a point on the tip.
It is hard to say if it is small since my Mirabelles are smaller. Oblong, yes. I have to check my ripening date from last year again. I could “ misremember”.
@mrsg47, Mirabelle de Nancy is bigger than M. Parfume de Septembre. Don’t know because Nancy does not have many fruit so they can size up better.
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My Empress plums ripen late Sept to early Oct depending on the temperature. Here in Vt. it starts getting cooler in Sept, some years there is not enough heat to fully sweeten them. Even if the day time high is in the 70’s, at this time of year it is only 70 for a short time and much cooler the rest of the day.
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Do you grow President, Valor and Vision? If so, when di they ripen for you, please?
Yes it is. Size of a real ping pong ball!
I think you mean Valor, which here in VT ripens with Empress. I do not grow President or Vision.
Yes, Valor. Thanks.
Another plum that ripens in Aug. and is very high quality is Seneca. Problem is that it doesn’t always produce much fruit- seems to depend a lot on the site.
I grow Valor and it’s a Sept. plum. Victory is a bit earlier, and is another that hasn’t been real reliable for me. Adams says Valor ripens earlier, but they’ve screwed things up and don’t sell Valor any more. I think they are talking about what they mistakenly sell for Valor now. This happened in the last few years, I bought legitimate Valors from them for many years.
Does anyone here grow Brooks?
Alan,
I picked my Castleton today to try. It is not ripe at all. It is not that small either. Last year they ripened around the end of the last week in Sept. I picked them on 9/10. Whatever they are, they are delish. Sweet and plumey.
I bought all my three E plums from Raintree nursery,
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This year, I have seen several E plums had this happened to them. The darkened area usually occurred on the stem end. Unripe fruit shriveled and dropped prematurely.
Can anyone tell what this disease is? @alan, @scottfsmith, @BobVance, @mrsg47, et al.
I think is it just rot as a result of too much water collecting on the stem end. I’m seeing it here also. Long periods of tropical type rain doesn’t suit plums, or much anything else we try to grow here. At least not the fruit. Many trees are growing like crazy, although plums seem to be suffering from marsonina leaf blotch. Some Euros have half defoliated in my nursery while the peaches are growing like crazy.
Thanks, Alan.
By the way, are you certain that my “Castleton” is not the real Castleton?
It definitely ripens around Sept 7-15.
I’d bet my orchard on it- at least it isn’t what Adams sells as Castleton or what Seedsavers describes- “ripens 2-3 weeks before Stanley”.
Tippy, that happened earlier to all if my Bavay’s this year. So disappointed as I had many on my small tree. I think it is just brown rot. 
I read Cimmins and ACN description. Mine seem to fit their description except for its ripening time. Cummins said it ripens a month before Empress. So, if my ripens a month before Empress, shouldn’t mine be a correct variety?
I don’t have Stanley to compare.
Don’t bet your orchard. I might pay for genetic testing so I could make a claim of your orchard 
Mrs. G., I am included to think it’s some kind of rot, too. They just don’t have those class gray moldy fuzz on the skin
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Empress ripens about with Valor in Sept for me. Not Oct, although some years it will ripen into Oct. This year my Castletons are late, but this is not a typical year. They are only ripening now- a couple of weeks late. The weather has not effected ripening time the same way for all varieties.
I will call Raintree Monday to see what they say.
What are common E plums out there that turn purple, has oblong shape, ripens in early to mid Sept?
Some years that could be Valor, although it usually has fruit on the tree through the month. Commercially they are picked while still firm so you have to consider that’s what guidelines are based on. It’s also why they are so worth growing in your orchard- often the ones from the store are too tart.
It takes a very long time to harvest E. plums at their peak when they are varieties that don’t show their ripeness by their color, which is the case with all prune plums.
Mine didn’t either!