North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

Title: Re: [NAFEX] beach plums

>From what  I have seen of the beach plum, it should make really good jam, and some of the types have enough color, tartness and astringency to make decent fruit wine.  The trees have enough good traits (resistance to salt water, late blooming, dwarfing) to make them valuable in breeding. 
-Lon Rombough
> From: Charles Paradise <machelp@attglobal.net>
> Reply-To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
> Date: Wed, 04 Sep 2002 10:07:39 -0500
> To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: Re: [NAFEX] beach plums
>
> John,
> The first year or two of flowering, the beach plums don't set fruit that year.  After a year or
> two of flowering, then they begin to set fruit.
> Yes, two of us here in new england have grown beach plum away from the coast.
> It's fine to write an article in a magazine talking about a niche crop, but if its to be grown
> commercially then an identifiable, reliable outlet for the fruit needs to be confirmed.  The
> fruit is almost always very tart and I doubt it would find favor with most people as an out of
> the hand fruit, and besides it is small compared with hand fruit.  I like tart [I think Gala and
> Ginger Gold apples sweetness is just appalling] but the public likes sweet.
> Charlie Paradise
> Massachusetts/zone 5
>
> John Van Hazinga wrote:
>
> > The currant issue of  Farming (The Journal of Northeast Agriculture)  has an
> > article on beach plums as a developing niche market in northeast coastal
> > areas.  I have a set of three year old trees planted in two locations-- one
> > on a rich clay soil in Vermont and the other  a gravel soil  at my sisters
> > nearby in southern NH that have blossomed but not set fruit.  I am wondering
> > if any growers have had success  with beach plums away from the coast.   JVH
> south central  NH where finally seasonably cool.