Friday started out as a typical day. But little did I know it was about to get exciting as I headed out to was another interesting day in the world of California tree fruit! Variety tasting and a rootstock tour were my next adventures as I continue learning about California tree fruit. I had never heard of either variety tasting or rootstock tours, so this was completely new to me.
As I approached the tasting, I noticed my soon-to-be father in law gather in a group. That was the second time I had ran into him in the past two days! I must say, it’s pretty cool that we work in the same industry. As I walked around the tables, plates of fresh peaches, plums and nectarines were displayed on the tables. They were for eating, and I brought an appetite!
Variety tastings are an opportunity for peach, plum and nectarine ‘breeders’ to showcase their new varieties of stone fruit, giving the growers and other industry members the opportunity to savor the latest developments in stone fruit. Breeders grow and analyze sample trees to develop the best quality peach, plum and nectarine varieties that they know will cater to peoples’ taste buds. That’s what it’s all about right- biting into the best stone fruit they’ve ever had? Variety tastings gives the growers knowledge and expands their opportunity to grow new varieties that they know shoppers will enjoy.
Rootstock tours are a different breed, don’t mind the pun. Rootstock tours allow growers to see tree root bases that can accommodate varieties and help the grower to grow the new varieties they would like to plant.
They accompany a variety tasting because they allow industry members to observe the tree’s growth and study their development for growth of new varieties. This rootstock tour was at UC Davis Kearney Agricultural Center. As we hopped on the back of a trailer, we made our way out into the orchards.
So now that you have a brief summary of what variety tastings and rootstock tours are and why they’re important to growing tree fruit, check out the video. And, don’t forget to leave us your thoughts in a comment. We love hearing from our readers.
Walking through the orchards the past few days we have seen some great looking varieties that are harvesting. Growers are excited to talk about the latest research findings on California plums. Last year Texas A&M published a 3 year long project that proved plums have just as much or more antioxidants than blueberries Click HERE to see the research. This year the preliminary research has shown that peach and plum extracts kill breast cancer cells! That’s huge! Click HERE to see the full report.
Take a look below and learn more about the varieties that are being harvested in July!
Plum varieties are sometimes hard to distinguish by just looking at the outside skin. A plum with a purple skin could have creamy yellow flesh on the inside or bright red - just look at the differences between the Black Amber and the Black Splendor. You can also see differences in the skin color as well, some plums are ripe and ready-to-eat even when bright green. See the photos on the varieties below so the next time you see the variety name on the in store point-of-sale or PLU sticker you’ll know what your biting into.
Here are some of the plum varieties that are harvesting this June.
The Summer’s first plums are ready for harvest! The first few weeks of May provide a glimpse at this Summer’s domestic stone fruit crop. The plums you see at the market over the winter are most likely from Chile or another South American source so it’s good to know that domestic plums are now available. Of the hundreds of varieties available through the summer each individual variety has only a 7-10 day harvesting window. Each variety has its own unique color, shape and most importantly taste.
The book titled “The Perfect Fruit: Good Breeding, Bad Seeds, and the Hunt for the Elusive Pluot” is a look into the California stone fruit industry, its breeders, farmers, history and commerce, its controversies and intrigue.
There are literally hundreds of different varieties of plums that are all unique. There are two basic groups of plums, the European varieties (Prunus Domestica)and the Japanese varieties (Prunus Salicina). They are both part of the stone fruit or drupe genus along with peaches, cherries and nectarines.
The European varieties are oval or teardrop-shaped and have purple to blue skin. Most varieties are smaller than the Japanese plums we usually see.
The Japanese varieties are most common in the U.S. They are round in shape, with some having a pointed tip and come in shades of red, black, green, purple or yellow.
Then within those families there are hundreds of different varieties, each with their own specific color shape and flavor. When you go to the supermarket during the summer there will be new varieties of plums about every 1.5 to 2 weeks. Each variety has its own harvest window that is the same every year. A variety that is ready for harvest the first week of June will always have fruit ready to be picked the first week of June year after year. Growers have timed varieties so that they have fruit ready to pick all through the summer. Not all growers grow the same varieties, each grower has their favorite varieties they like to grow and some growers even have naturally cross bred certain varieties for flavor, nutrition and color.
