Felix Gillet introduced more than 40 varieties of prunes and plums beginning in 1871. Gillet is credited with establishing the now huge California prune industry (the world’s largest). He recognized that the Santa Clara, Napa and Central Valleys of California were similar to the Clairac Valley of France, which is world famous as a prune producing region. Our California climate actually turned out to produce better quality and larger quantities of prunes than in France. He introduced three French prune varieties that are still in primary production today. The most popular is known in English as the Improved French, likely because Americans had a difficult time to pronounce “Clairac Mammoth d’Ente”! This variety is still the main variety in California’s prune (dried plum) industry. His other enduring prune varieties are the Imperial de Clairac and the Robe de Sargeant. We are pleased to introduce all three of these great varieties this year. Our project has uncovered a only few of his other varieties at this point, and we offer them for your culinary delight. We continue to explore for other varieties, and will love to know if you are aware of any plums or prunes growing here in the Sierras. These prunes and plums are of European origin, which infers increased hardiness, resistance to disease, cold and rain, which is not found in the Japanese varieties commonly grown as fresh fruit.
The following plums and prunes are self fertile, and do not require a pollenizer variety to produce a crop, however planting two different varieties will increase the production of each. The primary pollinator of prunes and plums are honeybees, and numerous wild species of bees and wasps.
All of our prunes and plums have been grafted to the Myrobalan 29C plum rootstock, which insures increased hardiness in higher rainfall, clay and poor soil sites. Also, trees on this rootstock are somewhat delayed in blooming each spring, reducing the risk from frost and rain. Myrobalan is widely used as a rootstock for apricots, plums, prunes and most almonds. It is a widely adaptable standard size rootstock, particularly adaptable to heavier soils with excellent anchorage. Shallow but vigorous root system. Tolerates wet soils. Immune to root-knot nematodes, some resistance to oak-root fungus. Trees grow to approximately 12′-15′ tall, but may be kept shorter by pruning in June or early July.
The following is a list of many of the best Heirloom Plums and Prunes we have re-discovered throughout the Gold Country region.
Cherry Mirobalan
This European native plum is also known as the cherry plum or “wild” plum. All the “wild” plums of the Sierra are apparently daughters of trees introduced by Gillet and planted in the 1800’s. The delicious fruit is favored by many bird and animal species who feast upon them and spread the seeds through their scat. This beautiful tree produces copious amounts of very frost-hardy, pink-white flowers in March and April, followed by 1-2” diameter beautiful deep yellow, delicious sweet fruit in July through August. Fruit is great fresh, juiced, in sauces or as a light wine. The hardy tree is an excellent natural hedge. Sets a medium to very large crop nearly every year in 30+ years of observation. Myrobalan is also widely used as a rootstock for apricots, plums, prunes and most almonds. You can graft a wide mix of these species onto to one or more trees, creating a living fruit salad tree. It is a widely adaptable standard size rootstock, particularly adaptable to heavier soils with excellent anchorage. Shallow but vigorous root system. Tolerates wet soils. Immune to root-knot nematodes, some resistance to oak-root fungus.
The mother tree is a large, multi stemmed very productive, very healthy 100+ year young beauty growing in Humbug, a great old mining town now part of Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park at 3250’ on the San Juan Ridge, Nevada County.
Clairac Mammoth d’Ente (aka Improved French Prune)
This is the world’s most popular prune, and dominates production in California. It produces a large, dark purple and very sweet succulent plum that dries readily into the famous prune of California. Introduced from Ente, France by Gillet in 1882. Fruit is medium-sized, egg shaped, dark red-to-purplish with rich, sweet dark amber flesh. One of the highest yielding prunes, it dries with an average 3:1 drying ratio. The tree is vigorous with an upright growth habit. This variety is moderately self fertile, it is known to increase productivity when planted with a pollenizer such as the Imperial or Robe de Sargeant. Fruit ripens in mid-August to late September depending on elevation.
Our mother tree is located in Humbug, the famous mining camp now known as Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, at 3250’ on the San Juan Ridge of Nevada County. While it is difficult to estimate the age, they are planted next to a house from the late 1800s. I have observed these trees for more than 30 years, and they have produced an excellent crop in seven out of 10 years, at a very challenging climatic site. The main problem for these trees are the bears, who relish the fruit and break the limbs nearly every summer! A truly wonderful variety, suited for all uses.
European Plum from Mendocino (no pic)
We don’t normally propagate plants when we don’t know what the fruit is, but we had to make an exception here. This healthy old European plum tree is growing in a tough environment near the ocean and smothered by other plants. It has an unusual dark red skin on the new growth, and the immature fruits are large, also with the same dark red color. We are missing the picture of the immature fruit. The fruit seems to ripen late, perhaps late fall or early winter. The tree seems very healthy despite its challenging environment. The leaves and branches all look very healthy, strong and beautiful. The leaves are a very thick and textured, round, European plum shape . We top grafted it in our orchard and it grew very quickly.
Formosa Plum
In 1908, Mr. Burbank himself declared his creation, the Formosa Plum, “the best plum in existence … loaded with fruit of great size, unusual beauty, and unequaled in quality.” Patty Fowler, a fruit connoisseur, and Adam agree. This handsome heart shaped plum, is the most beautiful and the tastiest of plums around. Sweet, Juicy and Flavorful. Slight apricot flavor.
The 100+ year old tree is still growing strong and vigorous in Newcastle. It is a wonder that this fruit ever fell out of favor (flavor). The freshly grafted trees are also some fo the most vigorous and healthy in the nursery. We are looking forward to growing these beauties in the future.
Guava Plum
This is a tasty and unique variety of ‘Cherry Plum’ that has a Guava Flavor when ripe. The tropical flavor and crisp flesh really stood out during our plum trials. Hard to say if it is an old cultivated variety or a seedling.
Zeke Found this plum in Newcastle where plums grow readily and the birds and animals are plentiful. The plums have harnessed the power of insects for pollination and have coaxed the animals to spread their seeds far and wide. Since plums cross readily its hard to say what you get genetically. None-the-less, with Nature’s help, another fabulous wilding has been discovered! This is one delicious, tropical flavored, vigorous and drought resistant cherry plum tree. Great for the kiddos!
Half Moon Prune Plum
This peculiar plum tree abundantly produces unique and tasty 2”-3” green to yellow fruit. One side of the plum always bulges out fatter than the other, giving it the appearance of a waxing half-moon shape. The dense green flesh is similar to a prune plum in flavor, texture and sweetness. It turns yellow as it softens and sweetens. Freestone. May be good dried. Ripens August at 2700’
We cannot find an identity for this old plum tree and it appears to be a cross of plums. The fruit is similar to a European prune plum in texture and flavor but not entirely. The leaves have some Japanese Plum and perhaps other plum species genetics as well. Truly unique and unusual.
The Healthy Mother Tree Grows in Grass Valley as a mini forest hedge and has been tamed to the corner of a backyard where it has successfully dropped and sprouted many of its seeds. To the naked eye, they appear true to seed. The trees appear healthy and green and seem to produce fruits prolifically.
Hazen’s Mirabelle
Some of the best plums ever. These little yellowish/ white plums turn almost clear when their sugars have fully ripened to their greatest potential. The heavy bluish layer of bloom that gathers on the surface is similar to the Green Gage, but differs in all other fruit characteristics. The fruit is sweet, very juicy and full of a slightly tropical flavor. It seems they are true-to-type seedlings because 5 of these trees are closely planted together with identical characteristics. Ripens in late August at 2800.’
The grandmother tree is at 2800’ in a mixed Gillet homestead orchard in Camptonville, Yuba County, a vibrant mining town of the mid 1800s, still populated with many Gillet trees. Camptonville was also the home of Lester Pelton, who in 1870 invented the Pelton wheel. Lester changed the course of human evolution by inventing the device for making hydroelectric power. Remember the tune “Camptown ladies sing this song, doo dah, doo dah…”? That’s Camptonville. Camptonville is a fascinating old mining camp, with many Gillet trees we will be propagating and introducing in the coming years.
Hootie’s Purple
This round prune plum has extremely good flavor. It is Jenifer’s favorite tasting plum!!! Described in the Felix Gillet taste tests as “sweet, juicy, yum”. At least 24 Brix. The skin is a striking deep purple, nearly fully covered with the “bloom”, or wild yeasts found on most prune plums. We’ve yet to definitely identify this beauty, so we’ve named it after Richie Marks, who discovered it, barely surviving in a forest near Chicago Park. His nickname is Hootie. Ripens August and into September in the shade at 2300′. Great for fresh, plum sauce, drying and probably makes great juice also.
This little-known variety is propagated from one scraggly tree near Chicago Park, Nevada County @ 2300’. This tree is surviving with no human care, encroached heavily by the forest, yet still producing nice crops of wonderful fruit. Chicago Park was a famous fruit shipping district at the turn of the 20th Century, shipping pears all over the U.S., but pear blight and pear decline, two major diseases, wiped out nearly all the pears in the 50s and 60s. Plums and prunes are not affected by this disease, and these have survived for your enjoyment.
Imperial Epineuse de Clairac
Gillet introduced the Imperial in 1878, a variety which apparently was a chance seedling discovered in Clairac, France about 1870. This is the highest flavored prune, and is used at the English National Fruit Trials as the standard to judge prune flavor. The fruit is medium to large, red to purple with a meaty yellow flesh. The tree is an upright grower, with willowy branches. The freestone, very sweet purple fruit is medium to large and ripens in mid August through mid September, depending on location. Very good for fresh eating, jam or drying. Can be sun dried without the lye or boiling water dip necessary for sun drying other varieties. Best production when planted with either a French Improved or Robe de Sergeant as a pollenizer, but will bear well without a pollenizer.
Our mother tree is still (!) growing in Graniteville, once a boisterous, prosperous mining town at 4977’ on the San Juan Ridge. The house where the tree is located dates to 1885. At this high of an elevation the fruit has a challenge ripening before the bears get it, but the tree continues to produce a crop nearly every year, weather permitting. It is our highest elevation Prunus species discovered thus far. Will thrive at lower elevations!
Joseph’s Coat
The most beautiful plum we have found. When ripe it’s skin blends yellow, green, red, orange and purple. The firm yellow and melting flesh is juicy with a mild sweetness and flavor. The unidentified mother tree grows in the shade of a large chestnut. Ripens in August at 2700′ elevation.
The mother tree is growing near Nevada City at 2700.’ It is a spindly tree which has been growing in the shade of a large chestnut and filbert for many decades. Nevada City has many old fruit and nut trees still thriving from the Gold Rush. Nevada City was the home of Felix Gillet from 1858 to 1908. He called his nursery the Barren Hill Nursery, for the clear cut hill where he established his business. The nursery continued to operate under the management of the Parsons family, who changed the name to The Felix Gillet Nursery, and ran it until 1967, when it was the oldest operating nursery in the state of California.
Lake City August
This one-of-a-kind, old world, yellow plum ripens in August at about 3200’. It is similar to a prune in texture and sweetness. It is 2”-3”, oblong shaped European plum. Very hardy, drought tolerant, cold tolerant. The fruit are small to medium, dryish, mildly sweet and mildly flavorful. Seems abundant and would do much better in better conditions. We hope to get more information soon on this new-to-us fruit after we plant it in our mother orchard this winter. Adam may top graft the scions onto an established tree so we can get fruit a bit quicker. He thinks it will be a bit larger and sweeter.
The Mother tree is found in the historic Colonial Gold Rush Town of Lake City which was founded in 1853. The tree was discovered alongside a small scattering of other old plants that have survived the desert like conditions, including 2 roses, another plum, walnut, cherry and pears. We rediscovered and saved the genetics of a unique peach there as well, the Lake City Red Flesh, but the mother tree died this year in 2022. The young new tree we saved is young and a bit weak especially after last year’s frosts. We will see how it goes this coming year.
Large Yellow Myro
This is the largest Myrobalan we have found. They are about 1 ½ inches across and are as sweet and juicy as can be. The mother tree produces many beautiful white flowers that bloom late, missing most rains and frost, which gives them the opportunity to produce a prolific annual crop. They are very tough trees and survive drought, pests and disease. Birds, deer and bear love them and spread their seeds throughout the forest, producing new plants with new colors and flavors. Myrobalan are commonly used as rootstocks for plums, prunes, almonds, peaches and nectarines. All of these species can be grafted to this tree to create a yummy fruit salad, all on one tree. Ripens in mid to late July at 2100′.
The grandmother trees are found in an abandoned orchard in Colfax, Placer County, probably planted in the 40’s. The two grandmother trees grow 4 feet from each other and are each about 20′ tall. The canopy of the two trees together is about 25′ wide. Colfax, once known as Illinoistown, boomed during the construction of the intercontinental railroad of the 1860s. The pear boom of 1890s found Colfax strategically located to ship its mountain fruit along the railroad to the east, and numerous orchards were planted as a result. The Colfax Fruit Exchange, once a successful grower co-op, still stands next to the tracks in downtown Colfax.
Leland’s Green Plum
This incredible green Japanese plum is super sweet and flavorful. 2-3″ in diameter and ripens in mid to late July at 2800′. We thought it may be the Reine Claude it was so good but the seed is not freestone and the leaves are thin bright green almond shaped Japanese Plum leaves not the thicker, rougher and wider European Plum Leaves. The succulent yellow flesh is covered by a jade colored skin with blue bloom. Leland said it was a green Japanese plum but we haven’t figured it out, yet.
This plum grows in the mountain town of Camptonville, CA, Yuba County on the late Leland Pauly’s property. It is one of the very best plums! Leland was the postmaster in Camptonville for many decades and knew everybody and everything that had happened in and around Camptonville. He was fondly called the town historian and will be truly missed. Much love Leland!
Orange Plum
A Gorgeous Orange Plum mottled with Red and covered in a Blue Bloom. Sweet and tasty but not too sweet – so you can eat more! Very Pleasant flavor with Crisp flesh and a cute Pointy Base. Produces Most Years. Moderate Yield but may be better when not growing out of concrete. This is the tastiest Orange Plum around! Ripens Early August in Nevada City at 2400′ elevation.
We’ve found a few orange plums scattered around the foothills, but this Nevada City plum was the most flavorful. It is hard to say if it was a cultivated variety or seedling but the tree is quite old. Many of the seedling plums found around are crosses between crosses and its difficult to say what the genetics are. Nevada City is covered in a diverse array of both edible and ornamental plants, most of which came through Felix Gillet’s Barren Hill Nursery, established in 1869. After Gillet’s death in 1912, the reins of the nursery were taken over, in most part, by Charles Parsons until 1969.
Purple Myrobalan
The best and juiciest purple myro plum we have found. This European native plum is also known as the cherry plum or wild plum. All the “wild” plums of the Sierra are apparently daughters of trees introduced by Gillet and planted in the 1800s. This delicious fruit is favored by many bird and animal species, who feast upon them and then spread the seeds through their scat. This beautiful tree produces copious amounts of very frost-hardy, pink-white flowers in March and April, followed by 1″-2” diameter red/purple, delicious, sweet fruit in July through August. Fruit is great fresh, juiced, in sauces or as a light wine. Myrobalan is also widely used as a rootstock for apricots, plums, prunes, peaches, nectarines and most almonds. You can graft a wide mix of these species onto to one or more trees and create a living fruit salad tree. This species is a widely adaptable standard size rootstock, particularly adaptable to heavier soils with excellent anchorage. They have a shallow but vigorous root system, that tolerates wet soils. Immune to root-knot nematodes, and some resistance to oak-root fungus.
We have found Purple Myro plums in North San Juan, Nevada City, Grass Valley and many other places. They were planted during the Gold Rush on farmsteads because they are tough, easy to grow and produce fruit regularly without much help. They are eaten fresh, canned, juiced and fermented.
Red Myro
This Red Myrobalan, aka Myro plum, aka Cherry plum is a sweet, juicy, red ball of deliciousness. The best flavored red cherry plum we have found. The fruit measures about 1” diameter, and the tree produces prolifically. The grandmother tree produces many beautiful white flowers that bloom late, which gives them the opportunity to produce a prolific annual crop. They are tough trees and can survive drought, pests and disease. Myro are commonly used as rootstocks for plums, prunes, almonds, peaches and nectarines. Any or all of these species can be grafted to this tree to create a yummy fruit salad, all on one tree. They produce readily from seed which is why you may have seen these scattered around, spread by birds, deer and bears. They were originally a West Asian plum which became popular as hedgerows and rootstock in Europe.
The grandmother is a 24′ tree thriving without any care, off a main road near Grass Valley, Nevada County at 2400′ elevation. Grass Valley was a bustling mining town not far from Nevada City. It was first called ‘Boston Ravine’, then ‘Centerville’ and then finally, Grass Valley. Grass Valley was the home of Lola Montez, the creator of the scandalous “Spider Dance,” and also the home of Lyman Gilmore, the real inventor of the airplane!
Reine Claude Greengage Plum
Many Consider the Reine Claude, aka Greengage Plum, the absolute best tasting European plums where you can find it in all the outdoor markets. Good for fresh eating, canning and jamming. It is a full flavored, rich, juicy, firm plum with a perfect sweet/tart Balance. Reine Claude is considered a European Plum but has its ancestry in Persia, modern day Iran, where it was discovered as a wilding, initially tended by nature. They are nearly round green skinned plums, roughy 2.5 inches with sweet, yellow flesh that sticks to the pit. They prefer to grow near other European plum trees varieties for good pollination and which leads to a higher fruit yield. Considered finicky, however, with rich, good draining soil, hot summer days and adequate water you will have exquisite plums that have been enjoyed for hundreds of years. They can tolerate very cold temperatures including heavy snow. Thin out trees and make sure good sunlight gets to the fruit.
After being discovered in Iran, this beautiful and tasty Prunus domestica was imported into France where it was named after Reine Claude (Queen Claude), in honor of the French Queen, Duchess of Brittany (1499–1524). Also in France, the greengage is sometimes known as la bonne reine (French for “the good Queen”). Allegedly they were imported into England from France in 1724 by Sir William Gage from where they acquired the name Greengage. They then spread rapidly to Italy, the USA and the rest of the world.
This tree was discovered at 5,000 ft elevation near Loyalton, CA, which was settled in the late 1850’s mainly by Italian and Swiss immigrants traveling to California via covered wagons, drawn by oxen. Though their intention was to get to California and make their fortune, some of them stayed in the Sierra Valley and set up homesteads and ranches and established successful dairy businesses that supplied the gold miners in California with essentials such as milk, cheese, meat, eggs and hay. As you drive around the valley today, you will notice many streets names such as Roberti, Fillipini, Maddelena, Folchi – clearly of Italian origin. The descendants of these families still live in the valley today and own substantial ranches.
Ritchie’s Red Beauty
We’ve yet to definitely identify this beauty, so we’ve named it after FGI volunteer arboreal archeologist Richie Marks, who discovered it barely surviving in a forest near Chicago Park. It is a succulent prune plum that goes from green to golden yellow to apricot-orange, and finally red. The rosy yellow flesh is sweet and delicious. Medium to large sized, and larger with irrigation. Deep, rich, succulent sweet flavor. Ripens in the shade in August at 2300′. Eat fresh, dry, plum sauce or jams. This one is going to be a hit!
This little known variety is propagated from one scraggly tree near Chicago Park, Nevada County @ 2300’. This tree is surviving with no human care, encroached heavily by the forest, yet still producing nice crops of wonderful fruit. Chicago Park was a famous fruit shipping district at the turn of the 20th Century, shipping pears all over the U.S., but pear blight and pear decline, two major diseases, wiped out nearly all the pears in the 50’s and 60’s. Plums and prunes are not affected by this disease, and these have survived for your enjoyment.
Robes de Sargeant (aka Prune d Ente)
This favorite prune plum is medium size, oval in shape, with a dark blue to purple skin and freestone yellow juicy flesh, with great, very sweet flavor. Excellent for drying, fresh fruit, juice and jam. Ripens mid August to late September, location and season dependent. Best production when pollinated by French Improved or Imperial Epineuse. Small and productive, upright tree with willowy branches when laden with fruit; branches resist breakage. Sets a heavy crop with no irrigation on the grandmother trees. They bare profusely and nearly every year, despite the challenged location and climate.
Our grandmother trees are growing at an old home (1890s) garden in downtown Nevada City, less than a mile from Gillet’s Barren Hill Nursery. Nevada City was a bustling place in the late 1800s, the Queen of the Northern Mines, with much agriculture to feed the miners. We have found many Felix trees in this community, likely due to nearly 100 years of continuous nursery operation. Felix grew many of the trees and vines still thriving in and around Nevada City.
Santa Rosa Plum
The Santa Rosa Plum was bred in 1906 by the plant breeder extraordinaire Luther Burbank. It is his most famous plum, measuring 2′-3′ in diameter. This purple-skinned beauty has a super delicious, tender, juicy sweet amber flesh that is perfectly complimented with a thin slightly tart skin. It is a consistent bearer of hardy fruit that you will look forward to eating year after year.
This grandmother tree was found growing healthy and beautiful just off a main highway in Auburn, Ca. It seems fairly disease resistant. Auburn was one of the first foothill mining camps, and even after the miners moved on to more interesting gold fields, Auburn became a bustling town along the Gold Rush Trail. Its location, close to Sacramento and the corridor to Lake Tahoe made it a popular place to stay. There are many historic fruit and nut orchards in the Auburn and surrounding areas.
Serpentine Green Plum
An unknown type of European Gage Plum. Small, Super Flavorful and sweet, a real delicacy and a gem of a find. In researching through The Plums of New York, it most resembles the ‘Bavay Gage.’ We are very impressed with this tiny plum that packs a huge punch of delicious flavor.
The tree was found in Grass Valley. It was burned down in a fire, but then re-sprouted above the rootstock. Growing out of very poor soil, under a large pine tree and out of Serpentine rock. We only have a few trees and it is surely rare. This is not one of the myrobalan plums you see scattered by birds, but a carefully selected and saved European Plum Delicacy.
Satsuma Plum
In 1885 Luther Burbank of Sebastapol received a few baby Japanese Plum Seedling trees. One was this red flesh Plum he named ‘Blood Plum of Satsuma’ in honor of the Japanese Province the seeds came from. This beautiful plum is delicious and dependable here in the Sierra Foothills. The flesh is firm, the flavor good and it is sweet but not too sweet. Great eaten fresh, canned or jammed. Good source of vitamin C, iron, vitamin A, B-complex and many other vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. This is one of the original plums that started it all for Luther.
Luther Burbank mesmerized the world in the late 1800’s when he showed the world what cross pollination can accomplish. He imported and bred thousands of plums and essentially created the bedrock from which all modern plum and plum crosses derived. Much of his work was continued through the Stark Brothers. The Grandmother tree is on a very old homestead in North San Juan California.
The Sidonie (Sido’s Favorite Plum)
Sido grew up on an old homestead with many Gillet fruit and nut trees, and says this is her favorite plum. A medium sized plum with amber flesh. Sweet and delicious. The fruit in the picture are a bit unripe and get darker amber in color. The grandmother tree finally fell down in the winter of 2016 after many years of being propped up. Although we haven’t been able to taste it ourselves, we are planting a few here to save the genetics for future generations
The grandmother tree was a very persistent 110+ year young specimen growing at 2800’ in a mixed Gillet homestead orchard in Camptonville,Yuba County, a vibrant mining town of the mid 1800’s, still populated with many Gillet trees. Camptonville was also the home of Lester Pelton, who in 1870 invented the Pelton wheel. Lester changed the course of human evolution by inventing the device for making hydroelectric power. Camptonville is a fascinating old mining camp, with many Gillet trees. We will be introducing more from this area in coming years.
Tropical Myro
This little, 1-1.5″ yellow plum turns translucent with a blueish bloom when ripe. The fruit has a distinct ‘tropical’ flavor which resembles starfruit or pineapple. Super delicious Myro (Myrobalan) plum. Myrobalan plums are drought tolerant and consistent bearers. Keeps the kids busy for weeks! Ripens in late August around 2000′ elevation. It is similar to ‘Hazen’s Mirabelle’. Myro plums are often used as rootstocks for plums, prunes, apricots, peaches, nectarines and almonds, and can be grafted with multiple species and varieties to create a living fruit salad tree!
The grandmother is a scraggly old tree, living and thriving, untended, alongside a road in south Nevada County at 2000′ elevation. We stopped at this roadside gem on our way to the Biblical Gardens. We loved it so much we came back and asked permission to pick them and cut scion wood for propagation. You will be glad we did! Southern Nevada County was well known for the production of grains, hay and cattle in the 1800s. It is the location of the original Pioneer Trail along Wolf Creek which brought people to California before the Gold Rush.
Very Cherry Plum
Juicy Red Sweet Cherry Plum with a Very Deep Dark Delicious Cherry Flavor. Beautiful Dark Purple Red Foliage in Full Sun. These trees are famous for their drought tolerance, beautiful foliage and delicious fruit. There are hours of fun when you plant a myrobalan – plum fun! Fun to watch children play and eat fruit from it’s boughs throughout the summer. These Ripened in Newcastle in July and lasted perhaps 2-3 weeks before birds and humans alike plucked them all. Our Awesome Volunteer Zeke Gluckman found these as he walked around Newcastle, looking for Plums and stumbled upon this beauty. He undoubtedly made plum preserves. Tart at first but ripens to dark red that is soft and juicy.
Newcastle was a booming Gold Rush Town known for its sprawling orchards of which you can still see scattered remnants of persimmons, pears and plums. There are many varieties of these common ‘cherry plum’ or myrobalan plums but this is our new favorite! Most likely Prunus cerasifera and perhaps pollinated and crossed pollinated, back and forth as plums do, maybe even with some cherry genetics because of the flavor!
Wickson
One of the best. An original Luther Burbank pollination in 1887. The large heart shaped fruits are deeply delicious, juicy, sweet and flavorful. The green fruit evolve to a crispy firm yellow flesh with a pleasant sweet/tart balance before they mature into a super sweet melty mess of orange flesh. The sunny side blushes a slight red. They have a cute little tail.
Wickson was developed by Luther Burbank in 1887 and was originally named ‘Perfection’ but it was changed to Wickson in honor of the famed pomologist Edward J. Wickson. The tree grows in the Sierras, in the orchard of our friend and avid orchardist Mark Fowler. He stewards a small heirloom orchard from the early 1900’s and has grafted many other heirloom varieties from the historic homesteads he finds.