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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Mirabelle plums, was Green Gage plum

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  • From: hwpark@kahres.kendal.org
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Mirabelle plums, was Green Gage plum
  • Date: Sat, 6 Feb 2010 07:31:38 -0500

Thank you for the excellent plum info; very interesting.

On Feb 6, 2010, at 5:28 AM, Douglas Woodard wrote:

> Classification:
>
> I see that some writers call the Mirabelle
> Prunus domestica var. syriaca, others
> Prunus insititia var. syriaca, yet others
> Prunus domestica subsp. insititia var. syriaca.
>
> It seems that cultivated plums are complex hybrids of multiple
> original wild species and their nomenclature is uncertain.
>
> I highly recommend a paper
> "Origin and Dissemination of Plums."
>
> Direct access is uncertain, so go to
> http://www.ipaprunes.org
> click on "Prune History"
> then "Dissemination of Plums over the World"
>
> A basic article is
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirabelle_plum
>
> On bullaces, related to damsons
> <http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/b/bullac86.html>
>
> It appears that the Geisenheim station in Germany has been breeding
> Mirabelles, producing two new cultivars:
> <http://www.pubhort.org/actahort/books/734/734_49.htm>
>
> There is a paper
> "Fruit Yield and Quality Characteristics of Three Cultivars of Mirabelle
> Plum (Prunus insititia var. syriaca)in Northern Spain"
> comparing two new French Mirabelles with an old Spanish Mirabelle:
> <http://www.pubhort.org/aps/57/v57_n2_a12.htm>
>
> An article in the Spring 2006 issue of New York Fruit Quarterly
> describes three Mirabelles as well as many other plums; another article
> gives an excellent survey of native plum species:
> <http://www.nyshs.org/fq/06spring/06NYFQSpring.pdf>
>
> Of older cultivars, I have encountered several names:
> Mirabelle de Nancy
> Mirabelle de Metz
> Reine des Mirabelles
> Mirabelle d'Octobre (synonym Mirabelle Tardive=Late Mirabelle)
> American Mirabelle
> Herrenhausen Mirabelle
> Flotows Mirabelle (Germany
> Rosal (Spain)
> plus the Quebec Mirabelle mentioned by Claude Jolicoeur.
> I wouldn't want to swear that none are duplicates/synonyms.
>
> Some Mirabelles of recent breeding:
> Geneva Mirabelle (U.S. released 2006)
> Bellamira (Geisenheim)
> Miragrande (Geisenheim)
> Nancy 1510 (INRA Bordeaux)
> Nancy1725 (INRA Bordeaux)
>
> I notice that the recent American literature ignores the use of
> Mirabelles in halves in tarts, cakes etc., probably because of their
> small size
> and the tediousness of pitting.
>
> On plums generally, note that Cornell speaks well of plum sauce. I have
> made this and I like it very much; it's excellent with yogurt or ice
> cream. My recipe uses 1/8 cup of cugar per cup of fruit and 1 part in 20
> of lemon juice (from an early edition of "Fruit and Vegetable Products"
> by Cruess). I halved, pitted and chopped the plums. I used Stanleys, or
> preferably German Prunes or Italian Prunes. No doubt a Mirabelle sauce
> would also be good. Peach sauce (Vanity is my choice) is even better;
> same recipe.
>
> Doug Woodard
> St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

Hank Parker
zone 4-5, elev 1600







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