I picked one of the 3-4 on the tree back in July, but the rest weren’t ready then. I haven’t checked it since (it isn’t very encouraging and I often forget to check encouraging things ), but will take a look.
The next Euro plum identity puzzle could be my “Kubanskaya” from Cummins.
It is supposed to be a cherry plum (P. cerasifera), but looks like a small prune plum for me. It is smaller than Castleton and a bit later, as this one wasn’t fully ripe at 12 brix (but I’ve been getting pretty good Castletons at 15-17 brix.
I passed by the tree today and gave a couple squeezes. They were fully colored, but not soft. I didn’t see any with animal or wasp damage, so I just left them for now. But, it sounds like I should sample one soon.
I’m only part-way through picking Castleton. Are your Castletons ripe yet?
No more Castleton. My “Castleton” from Raintree may not be the real Castleton because it ripened quite late in Sept. Like 3-4 weeks after yours.
The fruit was a PC magnet and the tree was leaning so I removed it last year.
My guess is your Valor would be ready around next weekend.
Bob, I think I have a solution for your mystery. The problem is that there are two (actually, more but let’s focus on two most important) plums that have the word “Kubanskaya” in their names.
One is “Kubanskaya Kometa” (Кубанская Комета, which means “Comet from Kuban”). This is a hybrid of Myrobalan (cherry plum, P. cerasifera) and Asian plum (P. salicina), analogously to Lavina and Obilnaya plums. You can see photos of this plum on these web pages: one and two.
The other one is “Kubanskaya Rannyaya” (Кубанская ранняя, which means “Early from Kuban”). This is a European plum (P. domestica) that ripens earlier than most other plums of its type. Photos on these web pages: one and two, match your photo pretty well.
Before I posted, I looked at a pic of Rannyaya and discounted it, because it looked round:
But, I have to admit that the pic in the 2nd link you posted looks pretty close.
Of course, the description says:
Fruits are large, 45 g, oval-round shape. The skin is violet-blue with a strong, dark blue waxy bloom, with clearly visible subcutaneous punctures, of medium thickness. The abdominal suture is medium, inconspicuous. The funnel is small. The top is rounded. The peduncle is long and thick.
The pulp is orange-yellow, medium density, tender, juicy. The taste is sweet and sour, good. The stone is small, oval in shape, separated.
And the ones I see on my tree are pretty small (I’ll weigh the next one). But, maybe this is just due to it being the first year bearing. I don’t think the load was very heavy to account for small fruit size. But, the early season and its looks make it a leading possibility. Thanks for pointing that out!
OK, after some consultation with @mikeinspangle I am fairly confident that this is Parsons. As European plums go, this one has pretty good flavor. However, I think where it really shines is in the looks department. It is a beautiful fruit. This is the last one for this season. Brix 20.
I cut one up and it was very juicy and 14.5 brix. It reminded me of a reasonably sweet Shiro. In fact, I had one from a farmer’s market this year which was similar- the vendor picked out a couple he though would be good and it was also around 14-15 brix. Even at that brix, I found it too juicy/watery for my tastes. The Castletons are much better- I had one today that was 19-20 brix and without all the messy juice.
I should see Alan tomorrow and I’ll bring him the remaining “Jefferson”. Maybe he will be able to ID it.
It isn’t as good as the later Euros, but for it’s season it is pretty tasty. I’ll continue to grow it if I can find a way to cut the black knot without completely eliminating the tree. Could be tricky, as there is a lot on the main trunk.
The plum in your photo does not match this description. Also, Parsons is supposed to ripen in early September in Oregon, which does not match it being a very early ripening plum.
Kinda looks like my Superior plums this year. Its first year the tree has produced any plums so Im new to this one. I am a little shocked at how high the tree got last summer, and I apparently missed pruning it. Its about 16 feet tall with the plums all up high.
@Alan sampled one last weekend. I think he thought it was an Asian plum, but he was a bit distracted at the time. Any thoughts on what it could be Alan? Is Shiro a possibility?
At the time I suggested a possibility it might be the plum called Asian Green Gage, but I hadn’t seen that one for years and in retrospect it is a more green color and looks like a Gage. The texture was too firm to be Shiro, wasn’t it, and I suspect Mam would see the difference between a J and an E tree or branch. Leafhoppers sure can tell the difference, it is very hard for me to keep E. plums growing vigorously through the summer as a result.
), but will take a look.
