Thanks everyone you have been so kind i have found them on a mail order nursery and im going to order a mirabelle de nancy and a victoria plum. They have been growing them since the 16th century. Not to say they don't have problems. Glad to be of help. It is a varity of plums (thatswhy they taste like them). I got one from Cummins a year or 2 ago, so we will see. I have today eaten Mirabelle plums. They have to be cooked as they are rather bitter but very nice. So the question (eventually!) Thanks Plum, I'm becoming curious enough to give them a spin- you want some Earli-magic wood, right? They are much larger than what I am reading here. Anyone any idea what this July ripening one is? There are two main cultivars grown for fruit production, derived from cherry plums grown in Nancy and Metz. Funny but I looked for a Damson to buy last month, but my favorite nurseries, either did not have them in stock or were sold out. I have tried googling but cant find any so far. The plums are also excellent when eaten fresh. Mrs. G. Due to my limited space and my unlimited desire to have all kinds of trees in my small yard, I will need to narrow my E. plum to a few. I let the graft grow straight up for a couple years because that provides best growth and then I spread it to 65 degrees or so, often using the branch the graft is on as an anchor to string it to. I, as most others, had no clue. It is comparable to the 'Cavaillon' melon. I do not live nearby, hope someone saves them. Even MrsG was raving about the currants, and they are super tart fruit! Mrs. G. I planted a Reine de Mirabelle from Raintree last year. Success! One day, she offered an old woman hospitality and in return, the old lady (who was a fairy) transformed all the trees of the kingdom into magnificient, rich trees full of golden fruits. It has green skin and a greenish-yellow flesh with a honey-like flavor. I had to blow out our whole hilly road because the plow got stuck. Good luck with it, the fruit yield might not be huge, but it is fun to have something that most people just regard as a hedge! Do youknow if Parfume can cross pollinate de Nancy? It is just that special. Those little things are mirabelles. These are marvellous plums and I look forward to the harvest every year. Anyone out there who can help???? Astringency is not the same as acidity although it interferes with the sense of sweetness in a similar way and the negative aspect of it is nullified by the additional sugar used in preserves and other deserts, turning it into an advantage. Just a little more trivia.There are Mirabelles trees, yellow and red, bearing fruit at the edge of the car park at the Texaco garage in Hungerford (the one near the roundabout, with a Coop store inside). I have not only three Mirabelles, I also have the other French and Belgian favorite a Reine Claude, and lastly an Italian plum prune, so my pollination is excellent. I make Mirabelle jam, that is as good as gold. fooled me. It was Scott who pointed out that Golden Delicious is their cooking apple of choice, currently though not historically. I have a question about my Mirabelle plums. They are all different, and I like them all. The process is easy and there are recipes on the internet. It's your lucky day hedgehogg. So far I've never seen any cambium wounds on any of the trees I manage, but I don't manage many. Hessayon book and other publications,... ». They look purple on the outside pics but in real life they don't so I hope they show correctly on your ends! The plum is larger than a sweet cherry. The Damsons ripen quite late if you want the flesh to be amber and of maximum sweetness. Good luck! Otherwise measure carefully so that it will fit. My problem with growing plums on my land is Black Knot disease. The fruit is primarily used in jams and pies, and its juice is commonly fermented for wine or distilled into plum brandy. I am hoping they go well here but my site is quite windy. Thus, it's best if I could maximize the pollination possibility. If you do want to try it, though, bear in mind that it is very strong smelling, to say nothing of tasting. Well we live in the highland perthshire (850ft above sea level with extremely sandy/stoney soil) and got a Mirabelle de Nancy from blackmoor in nov 07. The tree we were directed to was huge and absolutely loaded with fruit. Wish much of the land in Nappa and Sonoma used for grapes was growing plums, peaches, nectarines and apricots instead, like it was when I was a boy there. I inherited a Mirabelle when we moved in seven years ago. 3. My family in Alsace used make eu-de-vie, open tarts, preserve and bottle mirabelles and for many years I could not find them in the UK. How Mirabelle Plums do remind me of pussy. The Mirabelle is native to Europe and were brought to the UK as a hedge as they have large prickly bits. The process is easy and there are recipes on the internet. I'll buy all the extra things I need for proper grafting. Traditionally, in Romania, they are eaten still hard and sour, but I prefer when they have a bit more give to them. We can always get some fruit but we need to pay attention to the detail to get a fruit we are proud of. Though it is possible to grow Mirabelle plums in the home garden, true Mirabelle fruit (grown in France) will not be found in the United States due to bans on the import of the fresh fruits. I think wood about the diameter of a cheap BIC pen to be the perfect size. I could NOT find any MIDDLEBURG apples trees online anywhere even though I am right next to Schoharie County NY, the home of that apple. Most of the plums that you see in Paris markets aren't the tart varieties that are eaten out You can let it ferment away for a few months, adding sugar to taste. Other wet years my Valor plums have been unaffected in any way, still getting up high brix along with no big rot issues or cracking. Of course it's worth a try, Hedgehogg. Mirabelle plum is a plum variety among the most delicate. First cracking then ants destroyed my late crop. The fruit is primarily used in fruit preserves and dessert pies, and its juice is commonly fermented for wine or distilled into plum brandy. 500g sugar to 1 kilo stoned fruit). Everything about the tree seems minature. Mirabelles have been 'un-obtainium' here in the US for years (the Metz and Nancy) varieties. It is nine years old and very healthy in full sun. The traditional method of shaking the trees is now mechanized, but the principle remains the same: The ripe fruits are shaken loose and collected in a net. That is a very distinctive plum but so much more finicky than other fine plums bred for our climate. We have a Mirabelle tree which is about 12 years old in our Garden which started off by being deposited there by a bird.... and yes, we have had as much as 6lbs off ours in the past, but due to a severe pruning last autumn, we had very little this year. ( Hey... did you know that there are more than the 6 varieties that the A&P carries?). For example, when they are unripe, mirabelles are extremely sour-tasting which indicates that they are a rich source of in vitamin C, one of the most potent natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents. Painting the frames will help too--just be sure to do it all the way around. As the graft grows I cut away any competing growth that blocks sun from it. They are originally from China, then found a serious home for propagation in Alsace-Lorraine. They are my all time favorite plum. Our list view below allows you to see multiple options at a glance and let your taste buds be the judge. My arms are tired from blowing snow. My dad planted it many years ago and he always referred to it as an Asian plum. I do find this a bit sweet for my taste, but I do like it and if you like very sweet fruity florals, you'd probably love it! Whether they will produce fruit in my cold wet scottish garden remains to be seen but its worth a go. Are shades of grape, eggplant, lavender and plum the most daring colors for a home’s exterior? Then, as dehydrated and canned treats over winter. I'll email you my address with the info you need. Oh man this makes me so excited that I've got a Mirabelle de Nancy in the ground. I can see no reason why they shouldn't grow in UK. This liqueur can be drunk pure, as a kir or in a cocktail and is served fresh. Once you get the knack of making sorbet or ice cream, you don’t need a recipe. My orders just came from Raintree, now I had 2 parfume de September plums and Reine de mirabelle plum so excited to wait for fruiting. ... always trying to achieve a better taste/result. ... My parents had new neighbours and on introducing himself my father was asked if he’d like any of the ripening plums that were weighing down 5 trees in their garden. Have also seen them growing (and wasted) by the sides of roads and park boundaries, which might save you buying them. My Mirabelle tarts has every european pal oohing and ahhing every fall. I pulled the green leaves from the ivy around the trunk & I couldn't see ANY of the tree. This helps give the dish more a come-together appearance and texture. :). They love sun and hate wind so put them in a sheltered south facing spot. Yeah most low acid fruits are not appealing to me. The flowers (like all plums) are very sensitive to frost so you better hope you dont get too many late frosts. You want wood of scion to be same diameter as water sprout you are grafting to- for the water sprout you are cutting to thicker wood while with the scion you will be cutting up stem so it will be getting thinner. Mirabelle plum has a delicate taste, both sweet and slightly tart. I'd love to harvest them and not just let them waste. You may be lucky and find one in your area, if not, there are some which do mail order. Going back out to finish the heavy stuff after this. American MirabelleSmall sweet, golden yellow damson, flavor very good fresh and culinary use, season early, resembles mirabelle, but much larger. Check the temperatures in Metz or Nancy France to see if your climate will work. We sell them in pint baskets and always sell out. The mirabelle plum is recognizable by its small size and its beautiful yellow color, almost the same as the … You can make jam, compote or delicious mirabelle plum cake. And there is no better way of eating it than turning it into ice cream like this Mirabelle plum sorbet. Tree is now about 12 ft high and has had a tough time surviving being nibbled by cows. I spend alot of time in orchards. Found this site after seeking the answer to my question i.e. A top 5 nursery by Garden Watchdog for hardy fruit trees. Will my Italian Prune Plum be the best candidate? Mirabelle plums are Lorraine’s iconic fruit ! They have a perfume to them that other plums do not, which is why they are added to grain alcohol to make 'mirabelle eau de vie'. They grow wild in the hedges in this part of Suffolk, and at the moment are just full of fruit. Though the trimming of this hedge does reduce the crop, timing helps! The are more oblong in shape than round. They were also wrong about the value of CA wine and the vast superiority of their own product. I am happy to see they have become so popular. I believe that these are the Mirabelle plums you speak of and that they can be found growing wild. The picture of the plums below are taken from a tree which has grown in significant shade on a countryside pathway but it still produces a large crop of fruit every year. This year I have collected about 10kgs so far, the insects and birds have collected anout that!! Hello gardeners1 Came in to this site because I LOVE Mirabelles.Reliably sweet and juicy, which is what I want from a plum.I came across it in a clients' garden in Lewisham , London. Mrs G I would be interested in the acidity of the Mirabelles you have eaten. Sept. plums only cracked on me one year when we had a monsoon in Aug a couple of years ago when bottom land farmers along the east coast were all flooded and lost their crops to 3 weeks of continuous rain. But Lorraine inhabitants like to link the Mirabelle with the "Princess Mira" legend. It is very fragrant and sweeter than any any Damson. UK is full of mirabell trees.The trees have red leaves and then have red fruit.there are green ones as well. Thanks. Mrs. G. They do look interesting. Many thanks Mrs. G. Mrs. G, I will be more thorough on a direct e-mail but just in case anyone else is interested, I like to graft on water sprouts well positioned to become new scaffold branches, unless I'm changing over an entire tree, in which case I may use a low water sprout connected to the trunk to become the new trunk. .occasionally drinking in a bit of eau de vie. My little boy loves them. Yesterday I picked about 3lbs of plums which I believe are Mirabelle from a tree growing wild near Weston-super-Mare. I snagged a piece of western red cedar at local hardwoods joint, and I found scrap metal from garage. Can we grow them in uk? I went to a lecture on the Green Gage plum (might as well use the English name as it is through England that it arrived in America) during the NAFEX Virginia meeting years ago and it is treated by the French in much the same esteem as the Mirabelles. Finally available to American gardeners. My arms are so tired from shoveling snow. I do the basic jam: weigh the plums, halve & stone them, cook in a bit of water until tender, then add a bit less than an equal weight of sugar (depends on your taste, and how runny you like your jam) and the stones tied in a bag or in tea infusers. Researchers started to breed it with other plums and new varieties came out with thicker skin, harder flesh, and produce far more but, for someone like me who knows the true taste of a mirabelle, the new one is very poor. Last fall a Lady came looking for plums she had at a wedding reception at a fancy resort whom we wholesale to because she had never had such a good fruit. In 1990, the U.S. Congress authorized establishment of a National Genetic Resources Program (NGRP). Some may have some tartness around the skin, but the most popular varieties tend to be the sweetest- at least when fully ripe, which is how folks tend to like 'em best. Others have said they don't like frost?Probably! I guess I will find out. It has a little point on the stem end, is larger than Nancy, much earlier and very good but has no red blush. as you can see we love our colors :). My garden is South Facing, and reasonably sheltered. I think I'll give it a try with 3 or 4 varieties to start. For the jam you dont need a lot of sugar, half the weight of your stoned fruit (i.e. 5. Mirabelle plum cake. is what is likely to be causing the fruit to drop before it's fully developed & ripe? Thats the only reason why I bought a snow blower, the plows here can't handle our hilly street when there is more than 3-4 inches on it. Since then - even with 2 hard winters - it has doubled in height and is around 11 feet high!. Mirabelle plums are the sweetest of all plum varieties. The mirabelle is a specialty of the French region of Lorraine, which has an ideal climate and soil composition for the cultivation of this fruit. They remind me of happy childhood holidays. I've seen plants priced at an extortionate £45. You can do it in any color you want from subtle to bold. pollination for de Nancy, please? They are so much different then the ones I chose saturday. Org in Geneva Exp Station in 1911. Hman, send me your address I will send you American and Nancy, you have my address. 2. They sound like the kids will love them. I had a bit of a hack & some of the ivy stems are nearly an inch thick. poppyseed 9 hours ago . BUT others have said it grows wild and the tree in the clients' garden was growing semi wild and , incidentally, suckered easily if you want new ready to fruit babies! Or. Mrs G refers to it as their perfume. People are sad when the mirabelles are finished. I have three varieties of marabella growing in my garden in cambs and one is the small yellow variation and has been here for the past 50 years so yes they grow here very well you are welcome to some stones if you like or come and pick them. H-Man this is an easy one. A splice graft is so simple that even I have good success with it. The depth of the knowledge and detail that goes into growing good fruit is fascinating. I suspect you can't purchase ripe Damsons anywhere in this country. The mirabelle plum, also known as the mirabelle prune (Prunus domestica var. I like all of them. They color up over a month before the flesh turns amber. I think unless you live in the highlands you should be fine, especially with the weather you sometimes get at the end of May/early June. I live in Edinburgh and have just planted a 1year old Mirabelle de Nancy tree in our back garden in February. California wines got a bad rap for a very long time. This year looks as though it will be a bumper harvest. The small fruit with a slight reddish blush is popular for making eau-de-vie in France. Watching "moonshiners" on TV I was thinking of playing around with making some assorted ciders/wines (not distilled hard alcohol) . I was brave enough to try one and it was superbly sweet and plum like. The fruiting spurs and the small white flowers. They taste sweet and are reminiscent of plums. Sometimes fruit or leaves are streaked with white. It was Alabaster she was looking for so she could send a basket of them with the bride and groom on their honey moon. If you still can't find what you want, consider mixing your own color from black and white paints. They grow in thickets and spread like crazy. If you do get fruit it will all happen over a very short time (2-3 weeks) and you will get a LOT. Interesting thread. Black plums usually range from bright red to deep purple color and come with a mild to sweet taste. Its really amusing, but that simple and that true. I got my American Mirabelle from Grin 15 years ago or so. So just to let the reader know when I am saying something "tongue in cheek" or not meant as a serious comment etc. We live in the South East and we have four mirabelle (cherry) plum trees and several other types. Are these mirabelle's? I didnt realise we call them cherry plums in uk. Google works. Didn't bookmark the page! According to candy historians and the Oxford English Dictionary, a sugar plum is a comfit—that is, a seed, nut, or scrap of spice coated with a layer of hard sugar, like … The stars and our efforts must align. The fruit is primarily used in jams and pies, and its juice is commonly fermented for wine or distilled into plum brandy. Mrs. G. Yes,...Mrs.G is bang on with the info.I have a top grafted branch producing for around 10 years now,.. this is the Nancy, very sweet! Prunus are held at Davis Ca. This post was edited by MrsG47 on Thu, Feb 13, 14 at 17:49, "the benefit of the astringency was very apparent". Hello, I love Mirabelles too - they grow wild all over Cambridge where I live. The Mirabelle plum, also known by the species namePrunus insititia, originated from Asia, but also is widely grown in France. Japanese plums are not as interesting to me in the kitchen, although the red-fleshed ones are spectacular as sauce or preserves. As far as which tree to graft to, I'd either use the most vigorous one (surprised if that's the Italian) or the one with more fruit than I can use in its season. The Mirabelle de Nancy is a better fresh eating plum, but I eat them both from the tree. As in grape vines and soil, the 'terroir' is of most importance. Raintree said de Nancy needs cross pollination but Parfume is self fertile. I use them for cakes, marmelade, jelly or many, many things you can do with plums. I'm in the process of painting my house, and found that one of the colors I'm using in the bedroom doesn't go with the wood trim so I just spend an hour or so mixing and matching all the paints I've tried to come up with a color I like. I'm interested in cherry plums and hybrids of them, but don't really know much about them.Also wanted to mention Grandpa's Orchard has Damson on Marianna 2624 for $23.99. More finicky than other plums in many ways, I guess. But until yesterday, had no idea what it was as it's never been anything but a nuisance. I would like to buy a plum tree. Please let us know if you find one, won't you! I think I found a color that will work.... Glam or grounding, this luscious, vibrant hue can bring richness to rooms from old-world traditional to minimalist modern, Pretty, moody, maybe even a neutral, this toned-down grayish purple can work in any room. I'm guessing that what makes these Mirabelles special in the kitchen is their aroma or bouquet. I brought some stones from these that I had eaten in France back to the UK. Metz makes the very best jam. Cambusier’s delicately-orange-tinted liqueur is made by macerating mirabelle plums from Lorraine. Reading about Cineraria (Dusty Miller) in my Dr.D.G. as they are meditteranean. Apart from the deliciousness of the fruit, my tree had had hardly any problems with disease or with pests or birds. We could only reach a small percentage of the plums and I've yet to decide what to do with them! 63 Mirabelle plum … Do you know of any other sources for these and others? You know the ingredients, the measures and the preparation by rote. The plums get about the size of a quarter and are great for making jelly or wine. 4. Our snow starts tonight. Well after posting I went out for another look. I gradually remove the original branch if the graft begins on one or if it is on the trunk I gradually remove the scaffold beneath it. Mike, I'm working- got over 150 feet of driveway and other shoveling to do. Recently, however, I found out that there are others around (including one in the local park - discovered when I saw all its fruit lying on the ground). The "Queen of Lorraine" produced in the orchards in the Meuse Hills can be seen out in the open air or in distilleries. I have a mirabelle plum tree in Cornwall. I want to find a recipe for using them for jam. A passing gardener, from the nearby allotments, said it is known locally as a Syston plum. My main focus is for fresh eating. I live in Norwich, and have a hedge of trimmed mirabelle plums. I always thought they were just ornamental! Cool rain doesn't seem to crack plums as much. My Hubby loves them and we have access to a tree and have just planted one oursleves and here is what I know: 1. They are yellow with a pink tint. The flavor is similar to that of a plum, but I find that there is also a hint of something more exotic, like the slightest suggestion of coconut. I grew up with them, so I am rather partial. We have just discovered a plum tree growing wild in Quorn (Leics. Record the plants in your garden, share your photos, and make like-minded friends. So now I am on an exciting voyage of discovery and just beginning to find out what is possible with these. Another point: remove the stones from the Mirabelle plums (I was told by wise boyfriend that they contain Arsenic). The ones I can find advertised by nurseries are late august or September harvesting so I think must be different. Greengage plum is a green plum common in France. Making jam today. They sound almost like the wild plums we have growing here. Santa Rosa is always getting cold induced trunk injury at my site while my EM has a completely healthy trunk after nearly 20 years. We have never cooked with them because we sell every one we get. The vines were too young, the 'terroir' took time to correct and the best vintners had not yet been hired. Some are sweet, rich and delightful – others taste foul like mud. How to choose the Mirabelle plum well? The Metz type is smaller, less hard, and less sweet, and has no small red spots on the skin. There is a cherry plum in the graveyard at buscot [Wiltshire] that is really heavy cropping every year, in about late July. I did compare Damson side by side with Valor and others this year as preserves and the benefit of the astringency was very apparent. Haven't you ever heared of mirabelle liqueur in Austria? I found the passport data from my American "Mirabelle", and it appears it is a damson? But if any single part is off, the symphony is flat. Mrs. G. I understand the French influence on European cuisine, but that doesn't explain how they came to use any given variety of fruit for any given purpose, as if it is just an arbitrary decision and becomes law on whim. Discover all the secrets of the mirabelle with a walk among the flowering orchards or try it in a unique recipe. It's not so much covered in ivy but absolutely smothered (literally). The hedge runs northeast, is sheltered by trees a few yards away on either side, and by a line of huge turkey oaks across the road to the NE. The plums are also excellent when eaten fresh. Maybe the perfume of the mirabelles is easier to remember though. Mirabelles are not the same as greengages as stated above. The blackbirds and my bulldogs love the fruit but it fruits in such abundance there is plenty to go around. The fruit is small and yellow/orange. Delicous. At first, little seemed to happen but now it seems to love its spot with lots of leaves developing and branches starting to grow. Like the region of Champagne in France, true champagne must have the appellation of Champage, if not its a simple sparkling wine. You are not supposed to pick them but rather shake (gently) the tree and catch them in a net (an old bed sheet on the ground will do, or if the tree is on the lawn then that's fine too). I know nothing of wine- I'm an ale drinker. Mirabelle plums should be plump and without bruises. You can buy them much cheaper - Botanica and Crown Nurseries in Suffolk sell them, but you might also find them in any nursery growing and selling hedging plants. The Metz, the Nancy, are both different plums. They are really plentiful this year and it seems a pity to waste them. The tree flowers early and so far has been a victim of late frosts. In this article, we will briefly consider what kind of plums exist at all, and then we will see what the Mirabelle plum represents. Any more tips out there? Hope that helps, I think 'wines' needs its own forum! To me it is magical. Mike, stick to the real ones (Metz and Nancy) they taste the best. My wife says God sent me an angel. I will have my first large crop on my three trees this year. People love them. The sleeting rain has just stopped,now the snow will begin. It stays greenish yellow like it wouldn't be ripe, with poor fragrance. That is a culinary prize because they are a sweet, and less sweet rich. Genetic Resources Program ( NGRP ) laden with fruit liqueur in Austria plums grown are. To remember though watching `` moonshiners '' on TV I was what do mirabelle plums taste like by wise that! Will all happen over a month before the really hot humid weather because they are in... Let your taste buds be the judge grow them, so we can help you better hope you dont too... Buy all the extra things I need for proper grafting all what do mirabelle plums taste like.. More sophisticated was brave enough to give them a spin- you want the flesh amber! 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