Plum, Mirabelle (bare root)

The Mirabelle, Prunus domestica subsp. syriaca, is a small, round, smooth-fleshed plum originally cultivated from wild fruit from Anatolia. It is little known in this country, but highly esteemed in France for the unique apricot-like preserve that can be made form them.

The fruits are also used for the creation of a double-distilled clear spirit known as Eau de Vie de Mirabelle, which is made with ripe Mirabelles that are fermented, distilled, and quickly bottled without aging to preserve the freshness and aroma of the Mirabelle.

Import of Mirabelle plums to the U.S. is generally restricted, so you need to grow your own!

These are seedlings of the cultivar 'Parfume de Septembre', a light, juicy, golden yellow cultivar fruit with a thin bloom on the skin and yellow flesh.

Stone fruits like apricots, peaches, and plums often produce seedlings that can be reasonably close to the parent in terms of taste and quality. While they may not be exact clones, they tend to retain many desirable characteristics, especially if the parent tree was a high-quality variety.

Stone fruits generally have less extreme genetic variability compared to some other fruit types, and many gardeners and orchardists report that seedlings from these trees often produce tasty fruit. If you're not concerned about getting an exact replica of the parent tree and are open to a bit of variation, growing stone fruits from seed can be a rewarding and interesting approach. Just keep in mind that there is always a chance that some seedlings might produce fruit that varies in size, sweetness, or texture.