If you love fruits that are juicy, sweet, and packed with flavor, then plums are definitely worth adding to your list. Not only are they delicious and refreshing, but plums also come in a wide range of varieties, each offering unique tastes, colors, and textures. From sweet and mellow to tart and vibrant, there’s a type of plum to suit everyone’s palate.
In this post, we’ll explore the top 7 most popular types of plums you should know about. Whether you enjoy them fresh, dried as prunes, or incorporated into recipes, these plums bring versatility and health benefits that make them truly special. So, let’s dive in and discover which ones might become your new favorite!
Top 7 Most Popular Types of Plum
There are several types of plums that you can find, each with its unique characteristics, flavors, colors, uses, and appearances. Here are some common types of plums:
1. Japanese plum (Prunus salicina)
Japanese plums, also known as Asian plums, are a group of plum cultivars originating primarily from China and Japan. These are large, round, and typically have a juicy and sweet flesh. They are usually larger, rounder, and juicier than European plums and have a wide range of colors from red to yellow, and their flesh can be sweet and flavorful.
They’re often eaten fresh, and are commonly use to make jams or jellies. They are often use for cooking, or dried to make prunes. Japanese plums include varieties like Santa Rosa, Shiro, Bruce, Methley, Black Amber, and Satsuma, among others.
Santa Rosa
This is a popular type of plum that have a deep purple skin and juicy, sweet-tart flavor. It has a medium-sized plum with reddish-purple skin and sweet, juicy flesh. It’s great for eating fresh, baking, or making preserves.
Black Amber
Black Amber plums are a variety have a dark purple to nearly black skin and sweet, juicy flesh. They’re generally larger in size and have a rich, sweet flavor. These plums are delicious for fresh eating, but they also work well in desserts, jams, or other culinary uses due to their juicy and flavorful nature.
Satsuma
Satsuma plums are a type of Japanese plum which have red to dark purple skin and juicy, sweet flesh. They are small to medium-sized yellowish-red plum with a sweet and slightly tart taste. They could also be relatively large and round with a deliciously sweet flavor. Satsuma plums are great for eating fresh, but they also hold up well when cooked, making them suitable for jams, sauces, and baking.
Methley
Methley plums are a variety of Japanese plum. They have reddish-purple skin and sweet, juicy, and aromatic flesh. These plums are typically medium-sized and are known for their excellent flavor, often described as sweet and mild. They’re great for eating fresh, making jams, or using in various desserts due to their sweetness and juiciness.
Ruby Queen
Ruby Queen plums are a variety with red skin and sweet, juicy yellow flesh. They are typically medium to large in size and are known for their excellent flavor, which is sweet with a hint of tartness. These plums are often enjoyed fresh due to their juiciness and delicious taste, but they can also be used in baking, jams, or other culinary applications.
Bruce plum
The Bruce plum is a variety of Asian plum (Prunus salicina hybrid). It is a large-sized plum with dark purple or almost black skin. The flesh of the Bruce plum is firm and mildly tart. It has a juicy texture as well as a sweet and tangy flavor. This variety of plum is often enjoyed fresh as a snack or used in various culinary applications. The Bruce plum can be used in baking, making jams, jellies, or preserves. It can also be incorporated into salads, sauces, and even as a topping for desserts.
Like other plums, the Bruce plum is a good source of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. It is a seasonal fruit typically available during the summer months, and its dark color and firm texture make it visually appealing and delightful to eat.
2. European plum (Prunus domestica)
These plums are larger and more oval-shaped than Japanese plums, with a firmer texture and slightly tarter flavor. These are typically smaller, oblong or oval-shaped, and have blue or purple skin. They are excellent for baking, drying, or making prunes.
Common European plum varieties include Italian, Damson, and Stanley:
Damson
Small and oval-shaped, usually dark purple with tart flesh. Often used for making jams, preserves, and baking.
Stanley
Stanley plums are a popular European variety known for their oval shape and deep blue or purple skin. They have firm, juicy yellow flesh and are often used for canning, preserves, and baking due to their sweet flavor and ability to hold their shape well when cooked. Stanley plums are also commonly used for making prunes because of their high sugar content and rich taste.
Italian plums
Italian plums are referred to a variety known as prune plums or Italian prune plums. These plums have a distinctive oblong shape and a deep purple-blue skin. They have a sweet taste and a slightly tart flavor, making them ideal for drying into prunes, making jams, preserves, and baked goods. They’re also enjoyed fresh when fully ripe, but their primary fame comes from their use in making prunes.
3. Mirabelle plum (Prunus domestica subsp. syriaca)
Mirabelle plums are a small, sweet, yellow-fleshed type of plums, and are known for their sweet taste. They’re known for their delicate flavor and are often used in making jams, preserves, brandies (such as the renowned Mirabelle plum brandy from the Lorraine region of France), tarts, and desserts. These plums are particularly popular in Europe, especially in France, where they have a protected designation of origin status in some regions.
4. Cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera)
Cherry plums are a hybrid fruit, resembling cherries in size and shape, but they are actually a type of plum. These plums are smaller and rounder, resembling cherries, with a sweet-tart flavor. They typically have a sweet-tart flavor, and their colors can range from yellow to red. They’re often used in jams, jellies, or eaten fresh due to their juicy and flavorful nature.
Varieties of cherry plum includes Krauter Vesuvius, and Thundercloud
Krauter Vesuvius
Krauter Vesuvius is a specific type of ornamental plum tree. It’s known for its striking dark purple leaves, which create a beautiful contrast in landscaping. However, the fruit produced by this ornamental tree is generally small, sour, and not typically consumed. The tree is primarily grown for its aesthetic appeal rather than for its fruit.
Thundercloud
Thundercloud is another variety of ornamental plum tree. It’s appreciated for its deep purple foliage, creating a stunning ornamental display in gardens and landscapes.
Like the Krauter Vesuvius, the Thundercloud plum tree is primarily cultivated for its aesthetic value rather than its fruit, which is typically small, sour, and not commonly consumed.
5. Black Ruby
Black Ruby plums are a variety known for their deep purple, almost black skin and sweet flesh. They’re juicy and have a rich flavor, making them great for fresh eating. These plums are often used in salads, desserts, cooking, canning, or eaten as a delicious snack when ripe.
6. American or Wild Plum (Prunus americana)
American or wild plums encompass various plum species native to North America. They are typically smaller than European plums and have a more tart or sour taste compared to cultivated varieties. These plums grow in the wild or cultivated in orchards. They’re often come in different colors ranging from red to yellow.
While they might not be as popular for fresh eating due to their tartness, they are often used in preserves, jams, and baking, and they also have significance in wildlife habitats, providing food for birds and other animals.
Varieties American or wild plum includes Chickasaw and American Red:
Chickasaw
Chickasaw plums are a type of wild plum native to the southeastern United States. They’re small, round plum with red or yellow skin and sweet/tart flavor. Often found growing in the wild, they’re used in jams, jellies, pies, and preserves due to their tartness. Chickasaw plums are also valued for their drought tolerance and are sometimes used in landscaping or as rootstock for grafting other plum varieties.
American Red
American red is small to medium-sized plum with bright red skin and tangy flesh red plums, which are native to North America. These plums are typically smaller in size and can have red or reddish-purple skin. They are often tart and tangy, making them suitable for jams, jellies, and baking, although some varieties might be sweet enough for fresh consumption as well.
7. Greengage plum (Prunus domestica italica)
A small to medium-sized greenish-gold skin with a sweet and juicy flesh. These yellow-green plums are known for their sweet and aromatic flavor. They are ideal for eating fresh, making preserves, or baking.
Notable varieties include Reine Claude and Coe’s Golden Drop:
Reine Claud
Reine Claude, also known as Greengage, is a variety of plum highly regarded for its sweet, juicy, and flavorful fruit. They are typically small to medium in size and have greenish-yellow skin.
Reine Claude plums are delicious when eaten fresh and are also prized for making jams, jellies, and preserves due to their sweet taste and high sugar content. They’re particularly popular in Europe for their exceptional flavor and are often considered one of the best-tasting plums.
Coe’s Golden Dro
Coe’s Golden Drop is a heritage variety of plum renowned for its unique appearance and delicious taste. These plums have a golden-yellow skin when ripe and are relatively small in size. They have sweet, juicy flesh and are highly prized for their rich, honey-like flavor.
Coe’s Golden Drop plums are excellent for fresh eating when fully ripe and are also used in making preserves or desserts due to their exceptional taste. These are just a few examples, and there are many other cultivars and varieties of plums available ranging in size, color, taste, and texture. The flavors of plums can vary from sweet to tart, and they may be eaten fresh, dried, or used in various culinary creations such as jams, desserts, or even savory dishes.
