Plums

| Summer Plums | Blue Plums |

Summer plums: These plums are mostly Japanese plum varieties, and are a different species from the traditional blue or European plums. For this reason, Japanese plums will not pollinate the European plums. Japanese plums are enjoyed for eating rather than canning or jams, and many people look forward to the different colours and flavours of summer plums.

We grow 4 Japanese plum varieties, starting with Early Golden plums in late July. Our main variety is the yellow-green Shiro plum, which many people mistake for the old Greengage plum. Some folks really enjoy the firm flesh and tart flavour of this plum. We also grow Ozark Premier and Burbank as pollinators for Shiro. Both of these round red plums are sweet and juicy, like our customers like them at the fruit wagon.

Plums are difficult to pollinate well, so we rent beehives each spring to try to capture all those blossoms into fruit. They are at risk of spring frost and cold temperatures each year since they bloom so early. The trees suffer winter injury occasionally, so we are in process of establishing new plantings of plums after the harsh winter of 1994.

Blue Plums: Our blue plums are the traditional European plums, mostly teardrop shaped and good for eating, canning and preserving as jam or chutney. Some of these varieties are also known as prunes, and in warmer climates, they are sundried on racks in the field to sell as prunes.

We grow several European plum varieties, starting in early August. Planting several varieties together ensures better pollination, especially since plums bloom early. Many of those cool, breezy days during bloom aren't enticing for our bees to fly and do their pollination job, even if blossom time in a plum orchard is spectacular!

There were some Valor plum trees planted on our home farm when we bought it, and we really enjoy the high quality of this variety. We are in the process of establishing a new block of plums including Valor since our older trees are dying off. We grow several varieties developed at Vineland, Ontario like Voyageur, Vision, and several numbered selections like V70031, and V68051. These ripen from early August through mid-September.

Most of these plums are freestone, which makes canning, jam preparation, and cooking much easier. Plums are picked firm ripe, and can be held in refrigeration for several weeks, or ripened at room temperature. Our favourite recipes mix blue plums with cherries and/or raspberries for a delicious flavour.


For more information on plums:

See our Recipe File
Foodland Ontario Produce Facts: Plums Coming soon
British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Food plum page

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