History
With pluots, as with other new varieties flavor is number one. The objective of cross-pollinating fruits is to increase the flavor and eating quality. So you ask “what is a pluot”? Here is a break down of how the pluot was created by Floyd Zaiger. A cross between a plum and an apricot is called a plumcot, and the resulting hybrid is 50% plum and 50% apricot. Cross the plumcot with yet another plum and the result is a pluot: 75% plum, 25% apricot. If you cross a plumcot with an apricot the result is an aprium, which is 75% apricot and 25% plum, also created by Floyd Zaiger. The exterior of a pluot resembles a plum fairly closely; shiny smooth skin, round shape. However the skin isn’t as bitter as that of a true plum. A pluot tends to taste and look more like a plum, while a plumcot favors the apricot. Pluots have gone from obscurity with their first introduction in 1989 to gaining a premium image in the U.S. tree fruit market.
Variety
Why not try some new fruits? If taste is a priority, then pluots are for you. Pluots are noted for their sweetness (due to a very high sugar content) and their intense flavor. Pluots come in many varieties: Dinosaur Eggs, Dapple Dandy, Flavor King, Flavor Queen, Flavor Supreme, and Flavor Rosa.
Locally Grown
California ranks first in the U.S. in production of pluots. Fruit Patch has steadily increased its acreage to become a large supplier of pluots in the United States. Fruit Patch grows pluots only on the best Class 1 soils for optimum growth and production. Class 1 soils are defined as deep, fine-sandy loam soils with good internal drainage. For 2004 Variety Availability, please click here.
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