Can you help me identify this plum tree?

11 years ago

Is this an American Plum tree? The kids enjoy eating the fruit in the summer and I'd like to learn more about how to take care of the tree (and if there are any good recipes out there for cooking with or preserving this type of plum). We've been in the house 4 years, and have not done much with the tree, but I'd like to ensure that it stays healthy for as long as possible.

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Comments (8)

fatamorgana2121
11 years ago
Looks a lot like the satsuma varieties which are a japanese plum. See pics in link.

I do a lot of canning each year and plum jam is one of my favorites! I generally use a mix of plum types to ensure a good color, taste, and some fleshy chunks of fruit in the jam but just follow the recipe for cooked plum jam in the box of sure-jell pectin. So yummy and not just for toast. Use your your jams warmed up on vanilla ice cream or as they are on unflavored greek yogurt.

FataMorgana

Here is a link that might be useful: Google Images - plum satsuma
kathi_mdgd
11 years ago
Fatamorgana,thanks for that link,i finally found the kind of plum tree i have,mine is the "Yellow Shiro Plum"a japanese plum.I've had mine close to 30 years or so.A friend i used to work with had one in her yard and she gave a couple of us,starts from her tree.I'm the only one who still has it,and that thing is sooooooooooo loaded,that the limbs are bending.

The rest of my friends killed theirs with kindness,but i share my plums with them.LOL,LOL They are the best plums i ever ate,and they should be ready to eat in a couple more weeks.Sometimes i just grab a few off the tree,wipe it off on my shirt tails and eat.

The other thing i like about these is that no critters or birds bother them,like they do my peaches.The birds come along the peach tree and take a bite of a peach then move onto another,makes me so angry.Told dh we need to get one of those nets fr the tree,before they eat them all.
Kathi
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Dzitmoidonc
11 years ago
Can't be Shiro, they are yellow flesh, but the tree is definitely a Japanese plum. European plums are very vertical, Japanese plums are wide spreading. If you want, I can get a pic of Shiro plum, my buddy has an orchard and they are almost ready.
fatamorgana2121
11 years ago
kathi- Glad to share the link! Shiro (and other Japanese plums) are oh-so yummy and juicy.

FataMorgana
Embothrium
11 years ago
There are many kinds of Japanese and other orchard plums, I wouldn't keep jumping on it being this one or that - you will probably have to make a little study of it to arrive at the right one. However, if it is one of the more common, familiar ones you may find the same fruit in a store. Or be able to get a name from someone at a garden center.
CollinH
Original Author
11 years ago
FataMorgana, thank you - it does indeed look like a satsuma. Now I can start hunting around for tree care advice. And more importantly, (with your encouragement) I ended up making a strawberry plum preserve with these and it was fabulous! My kids were eating it out of the jar by the spoonful. Good to know so many of them won't go to waste this year. In Colorado we've had a few years off-and-on where we've missed the plums due to late freezes, so we've really learned to appreciate the fruit when it comes.
flora_uk
11 years ago
You could try asking on the Fruit and Orchards Forum. there are some serious fruit growers there. I agree with bboy that there are too many varieties of plum to assume this is a particular one with any certainty. If you get a glut plums are simple to freeze for later cooking.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fruit and Orchards.
fatamorgana2121
11 years ago
CollinH- Glad to hear about the preserves. Strawberry-plum does sound like a wonderful combo - definitely something to eat out of the jar. And the advice flora gives about freezing is good. If you can't process the fruit right away, get it prepped and freeze. I just did that with about 10 quarts of strawberries. I will be turning some of it into jam...maybe when the air starts to cool this fall. Canning of any sort warms the house so nicely!

FataMorgana