Flavor Supreme is just starting to ripen. I’ve had a few that are otherworldly good, and a few that need a little more time, like the one pictured below.
I grow out a bunch of seedling apricots every spring. And within two to three years, they pretty much all die for some reason or another. I’ve had a few survivors. Most are dry and unremarkable. But this one, a seedling manchurian, is pretty good. Nice flavor, good size, good texture.
Black Gem tends to be the best of my blackberries. They’re all excellent, so this is kind of splitting hairs, but Black Gem is the least likely to have any weird flavors like blackberries sometimes do. And the berries are huge.
Nice!! This is my first year getting flavor supreme (Mass 6a/b). There aren’t that many though but the tree is young. Do you typically get a big harvest? They are ridiculously good.
Agree! I think the ripening is out pacing the black knot that’s on some off the trees… I’m dragging my feet to try and get some harvests but it’s looking like a good year for all the stone fruit except for my nectarines…The PC pressure is ridiculous… I can’t outpace it. I’m thinking about trashing both trees this winter…
I spent the weekend harvesting fruits I’ve already posted about this year. The only new one is Obilinaja, which is solidly good, though not a great plum. It also needs massive thinning.
With the caveat that I’m just speaking for my tastes about the fruit I’ve grown in my specific growing conditions, I’d say:
Lavina
Purple Heart
Gage style plums
I like plums that have a caramel undertone, a richness that lingers. Purple Heart doesn’t necessarily fit that bill, but I like its texture and its complex mix of berry flavors.
The plums I’d like to add next are the Ptitsin series. Those sound like they have some great potential.
Seems to be a bad year for black knot in the northeast. I’ve been seeing it on a lot of trees where I go walking.
My best preserve last year was a Satsuma plum preserve. I didn’t use much sugar, and it had this real nice tart/sweet balance that highlighted the fruit rather than drowning it in sweetness.
Red Devil is an okay-ish red fleshed apple that’s surprisingly early. I waited too long to harvest them last year and they got all mealy. This year: okay flavor, pretty good texture.
These aren’t fully ripe yet, but I picked a few because they love to crack in the rain (hell, sometimes they crack even without rain) and we’ve got a storm in the forecast. I’ve never been particularly impressed with Black Ice.
Here’s a riper Hakuto Seedling #1. It’s still excellent. It’s got a lot of that delicate, honey peach flavor of Hakuto, plus a nice punch of red-fleshed peach flavor.
That purple heart is looking good. Might need to do another trade this winter. My Lavina is already over, but I agree it’s a good one. I’m really starting to like the hybrids the best of all the plums.
Rapunzel / Snack Time is excellent, but I didn’t realize how small they’d be. It’s kind of a walk-by-and-pick-one type of fruit. But harvesting a bunch of these would be a pain. Especially since they often tear at the stem a little.
This was supposed to be a Strawberry Cling from Arboreum Co. Not sure what it is. Small fruits that certainly aren’t cling. Melting flesh and good flavor.
I found Snack Time too tart for me. Then, I remember you like fruit with some tartness far more than I do. . I am considering removing Snack Time and only keeping H12-23 as a result.
To me, Snack Time only sweeter when they get soft. When firm, quite tart.
My Arctic Glo this year would be what you like, sweet and tart, quite intense flavors on both ends. They are small because I did not thin enough and no rain lately. They don’t size up.
Are your stone fruit smaller than usual? Mine definitely are.
The first four Hakuto seedlings are all somewhat similar. I’m pretty sure they were all pollinated by Silver Gem nectarine. The earliest of the four was probably the best though. And I like that it’s super early.
From the early Honey nectarines I have Kist, Blaze and Lite. So far, Kist is the best performer of the three, reaching peak ripeness with amazing flavor and sweetness. Blaze comes next, and then Lite. I think these Honey nectarines need a lot of heat and sun to reach their peak, as the Lite that I get from California is fantastic, just like Kist from my yard, but mine struggles to build enough sugar and flavor. Note that I pick them all soft ripe.
. I am considering removing Snack Time and only keeping H12-23 as a result.
. There is always next year.
