Pluot Fruit

      Pluot Fruit               

      Pluot -  prunus domestica x 
                  prunus armeniaca 

   Pluot is a natural cross of Plum and Apricot.  Pluot trees are a natural, hand-pollinated cross between apricot and plum trees first created by the fruit hybridizing genius, Floyd Zaiger.  They are a hybrid fruit developed in the late 80s that are 75% plum and 25% apricot.  This hybrid fruit is three parts plum and one part apricot, hence its name. They may look like plums on the outside but the inside they have the flesh of an apricot. They resemble plums with smooth skin, and a similar shape and texture.  Pluots are a member of the stone fruit family.

      Pluot is the registered trademark name given to the stonefruit that was developed by Floyd Zaiger in 1989. Zaiger develops all of his hybrid fruits by hand pollination versus genetic modification. The attention and care taken to create a pluot from parent varieties is painstakingly precise. Floyd Zaiger created the original pluots under extreme temperature control, transferring pollen from one fruit to the next with a tweezers. There are dozens of pluot cultivars that range in sugar content, color and rate of maturity.

       The Story Behind the Pluot is that about its predecessor: the plumcot, a fruit hybrid that is half-plum and half-apricot. Plumcots date back to the late 19th century and were the brainchild of Luther Burbank, a famous horticulturist who lived in  Santa Rosa, California. Burbank, who was friends with Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, developed more than 800 new varieties of plants in his career, according to the organization named in his honor. When the talented plant breeder died in 1926 the plumcot's journey was far from over.

     During the following decades, other plant breeders continued experimenting with the plumcot to make it easier to cultivate. One of those people was Floyd Zaiger, owner of Zaiger Genetics.  Zaiger released a new plum and apricot hybrid in the 1980s.  This time the fruit was 75 percent plum and 25 percent apricot.  Zaiger called the new fruit as Pluot.

      The Pluot is a juicy sweet mix of an apricot and a plum. They will have the appearance of a mottled plum. They’ll range in color from a red mottling, to a light yellow-orange. The skin wills the tight, and thin, like a plum and be free of the apricot’s fuzz.  Most pluot varieties are extremely sweet, often spicy, low-acid fruits with a juicy, chin-dripping tender firm flesh, qualities that the fruit was developed to achieve. When multiple variates of pluots are planted in the same orchard, scattered pollination between trees will occur, often times this imparts an enriched flavour to the fruits.

      The Pluot tree is technically called an "Interspecific Plum" and it produces an attractive, delicious freestone fruit that blends the best qualities of both parents. Because the tree looks a bit more similar to a Plum than an Apricot tree, easy to grow, pluot trees grow best in winter climates that are cold enough for plant dormancy. They do best with a pollinator partner, which could be another Pluot variety, or one of the Plum varieties.

        Pluots, like other stonefruit, are best enjoyed fresh at their peak of ripeness. They may also  be  baked,  roasted,  pureed or cooked for jams, compotes, ice creams and reductions. Complimentary flavors  are vanilla, nutmeg, tropical fruits, chocolate, citrus, basil and chiles. Other  favourable pairings  include  pork, lamb, grilled  shellfish and crudo-style seafood. To store, let ripen at room temperature and store in refrigerator for up to one week.

       Pluots are high in vitamins A and C, potassium, calcium, phosphate and dietary fiber. These nutrients are important for a strong immune system, a healthy digestive system, lowering cholesterol levels, and prevent the negative effects of free radicals. The darker pigmented varieties also provide a rich source of antioxidants.

       Pluot trees produce lovely white flowers in the springtime and the actual fruit begins to appear in the summer. If you choose the pollinator plants wisely, you can extend your season of fruit. Try planting several varieties of Pluot fruit trees together in a single, large hole. You'll save space, increase pollination and with careful pruning, grow a single tree with 3 trunks. Called High Density Planting, this technique for home gardeners is tried and true.

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