I have as much experience as Scott with a range of plums and have different opinions than him on probably half the statements he makes on the subject- not that I’m more often right, but that we have different experiences at different sites and different tastes. He also grows his fruit far to the south of my southern NY.
I do have the advantage of basing my opinions on growing fruit at many different sites in my region, and plums are the most mysterious fruit I grow in terms of productivity by any given variety. At some sites, Santa Rosa is quite productive, for example. I have found several other varieties whose level of productivity seems to swing a great deal, apparently due to subtle condition variations at different sites. The fact that I have no idea what these factors are is not a testament to my expertise, I will admit. Only my own orchard gets close enough attention to the fine details, and when certain plum varieties fail to produce on a given year, the problem usually seems to be early blooming that causes either freeze out or inadequate attention from pollinators. USUALLY!
As far as Damson’s making the best jam, that is highly subjective even if it may be commonly believed in France. Alone it makes an exceptional jam due, in part, to its high astringency. However, most will only observe its superiority if you taste it by itself side by side with jam made by another E. variety. My opinion is that Damson isn’t worth the trouble- the fruit is too small and pit too large to bother with and it requires more sugar than most other plums to get its jam sweet. Even when dead ripe, Damson it barely pleasurable to eat unsweetened, but it is those flavors that mask its sugar that makes it exceptional- but they require a lot of added sugar to be enjoyed by my particular palate.
This year I discovered that Ruby Queen imparts the most amazing color to preserves as one of the plums in the mix. I’ve long considered Euro plums better for this purpose, if only for their higher brix, but if about a quarter of the plums in the mix are RQ, the color will end up being amazing in a way no amber fleshed plum can be compared to, and RQ has the deepest purple flesh of any red-flesh I’ve ever grown, which includes Red Heart, Elephant Heart, Methely and Satsuma, along with a few pluots.
Incidentally, I believe Ozark Premier is underrated. It has a meatiness to it that is outstanding and the fruit gets huge.
As far as Scott having forgotten more about plums than you know, I have forgotten more about plums than I know.
One of my favorite jokes about my aging brain… like it?
