Pluot Flavor Candy - Plumcot

The Flavor Candy Pluot is a clever blend of a plum and an apricot. This vigorous and productive variety produces fruits of about 6 cm (2in) in diameter that take after the plum for their smooth skin and juicy flesh, and the apricot for the taste and sweetness. The skin is initially two-tone, yellow and red-purple, then turns violet when ripe, while the flesh is yellow, very sweet, and fragrant. Harvest takes place in July. The Flavor Candy Pluot is self-fertile.

The Pluot is an interspecific species. It is a complex hybrid between a plum and an apricot, created by Floyd Zaiger in 1988 in the United States. It contains 70% of the plum genome and 30% of the apricot tree.

Like many fruit trees, the Flavor Candy Pluot appreciates light, rich, and deep soils. It does not tolerate excessive water or heavy and compact soils. A sunny location sheltered from the wind will protect the flowering and aid in fruiting.

It is a semi-dwarf tree that will reach approximately 2.50 m (8ft) in height at adulthood. Its deciduous foliage is bright green. Its leaves are long, ovate, measuring 8 to 15 cm (3 to 6in) by 3 to 4 cm (1 to 2in) wide, with a short petiole. Its pale pink flowering occurs in April. The flowers are hermaphroditic and self-fertile. However, it is still recommended to have another variety nearby to improve fertility: Golden Japan is ideal. The fruiting results in sweet and sugary fruits. Their skin is smooth like that of plums. They are as big as a peach and derive their taste from the apricot. The juicy and sweet texture comes from the plum. Their skin is initially two-tone, yellow and red-purple, then turns violet when ripe, while the flesh is yellow, very sweet, and fragrant.

The pluot can be enjoyed raw at the base of the tree, in fruit salads, but also in desserts, pastries, as an accompaniment to meats and dishes. It can be transformed into jams, of course, but also into preserved fruits, compotes, juices...