Gillet introduced more than 40 varieties of prunes and plums beginning in 1871. Gillet is credited with establishing the now huge California prune industry as he is recognize 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, and our California climate actually turned out to produce better and larger quantities of prunes than in France. He introduced three French prune varieties that are still in 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.
These 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 are grafted to the Myrobalan 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 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. 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
Plums
Felix introduced more than 40 plum varieties over nearly 40 years of nursery production. These are our first two offerings of his European varieties.
Purple Myrobalan Plum (Prunus cerasifera)- Sold Out
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, upon feasting on them 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. 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. 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 very healthy 100+ year young beauty growing in Humbug, a beautiful old mining town now part of Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park at 3250’ on the San Juan Ridge, Nevada County.
Yellow Myrobalan Plum (Prunus cerasifera) Sold Out
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, upon feasting on them 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. 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.
Prune Plums
Prunes are botanically related to plums, and can be like a plum, however they have a higher sugar content then plums, that allows them to dry into the well-known luscious, sweet prune. All prunes are great for fresh eating, jams, juice, fruit leathers and drying. Prunes are frost hardy trees, and produce crops in all but the worst frost years.
Clairac Mammoth de Ente (aka Improved French Prune)- Sold Out
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 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. 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.
Imperial Epineuse de Clairac- Sold Out
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!
Robe de Sergeant (aka Prune d’Ente)- Sold Out
This favorite prune is medium size oval in shape, with a dark blue to purple skin and freestone yellow juicy flesh, with great very sweet flavor. Used for drying, fresh fruit and jam. Ripens mid August to late September, location and season dependent. Best production when pollenated by French Improved or Imperial Epineuse. Small and productive, upright tree with willowing branches when laden with fruit.
Our mother trees are growing at an old home (1890’s) garden in downtown Nevada City, less than a mile from Gillet’s Barren Hill Nursery. They bear profusely and nearly every year, despite the challenged location.