METHLEY PLUM… My first harvest of 2018.
Just after a full week of steady rain. Mostly are are just soft to the touch. No nrix measure…sorry.
Mike
Mike
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Wow, gorgeous. That looks like perfection of nature.
Dax
3 Likes
@MES111,
I looked at the pics of your Methley. Then, I looked at @ramv’s Methley.
Methley Plum.
Are you sure you have Methley plums?
I was told that my mislabeled plums is a Methley plum. Mine looked like Ramv’s.
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I will try and check this weekend.
Those in the photo might have been picked early due to weather conditions.
I looked at my notes and these were picked after a week of heavy rain with more expected and it was hot and many were already soft on the tree.
Do yours color up dark early or nearer harvest.
Mike
Mike,
If yours were Methley, I’d say you pick yours very early. Mine have developed darker color gradually, over a couple of weeks.
I took this pic a moment ago. I would let this one hang a few more days because I tugged on it and it did not come off.
I tend to leave my fruit fully ripen so they have softer texture. If you like firmer texture, the color of the big one on the right is good. The texture is firmer but still tastes sweet.
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@mamuang
Tippy,
Below are photos of the Methley plums I harvested last week.
I had to harvest them because some were already really soft and all were coming off in my hand with a bare touch.
Below are photos of the plums with and without the plum “dust” as well as the inside of the plums at 3 stages of softness.
If I left them on the tree till this coming weekend I am sure I would have lost them all.
Mike
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Those looked like Methley. I let them hang til they are mostly dark.
To my taste, the flesh near the pit and the skin is tart. Do you taste it?
I concur with the messages. Methley should be very dark. Your first pics look like you picked them way early.
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Both photos are of the same plums.
The second photo is of the same plums after I wiped off the dust covering on the fruit.
Mike
Mike,
How do you like their taste?
My family likes it. It is nice and sweet. My husband likes the firm soft stage. I found that, with the riper ones, I can peel skin off easily. It tastes better without tart skin.
I get that they were the same plums. The color of methley should not be dappled like that. They should be a nice dark burgandy color.
@mamuang
I like the tart skin. I like it just soft enough that the flesh gets a little stringy .
Mike
One reason I let it very ripe because it is easier to peel off the skin.
I also cut the plum in pieces to avoid tart/bitter taste of the flesh near the seed. The older I am, the pickier eater I become 
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It’s fascinating that Methley ripened one month ago in the PNW. But our figs are usually later than Z5b on the east coast.
Maybe plums can develop at low heat like in the PNW unlike figs?
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The European cherry plum genes in Methley probably allow it to ripen in a mild climate. I think it differs from variety to variety. Long sunny days and dry weather may balance things out a bit.