Desperatly seeking Reine Claude and Mirabelle...

They must be around 8 years old now. They were 3 when I got them I think. It took a long time to get fruits because of my soil but truly worth it, the jam I did with the ones we didn't eat is amazing.

 

Hi Stephanie,
They are 9 years old now. Turns out they were mislabeled and I gave one tree to a neighbour thinking it was the second Reine Claude of the lot but since I have 2 reine Claude trees in my graden now, I guess she got the Mirabelle. The poor tree is planted in the shade and has not bear fruit yet. My 2 Reine Claudes are doing better. We have had sizeable crops the last 2 years. Those plus are amazing! Unfortunatelly one tree is getting sick and I will remove it this automn hoping the second one is not contaminated.

 

Hi Dominique, sorry to hear that you still don't have Mirabelle, glad at least you got reine Claude plums...

I am getting Mirabelle trees from Pepiniere Ancestrale, QC this year supposedly.
Fingers crossed they are the real tree.

If they do have it in Quebec, not sure why such a challenge to get them imported in other provinces? Different legislation?

Pepiniere ancestrale got their first Mirabelle tree from France originally. They keep grafting it... maybe the rules have changed since then.

What colors reine claude do you have? the red plums? Sorry to hear one of your two tree is now sick. How to protect fruit trees from disease?

Stephanie

 

The Reine Claudes from my trees are golden/green when ripe. Extremely juicy and sweet. The skin is thin and does not have this acid tang most local plums have.
My neighbor have 3 italian plum trees, all sick with this gnarly gale that attacks branches. (Those trees were already sick when I moved in).
I cut back mine below the infection but it keeps coming back. I lost a French Kiss plum tree like that 2 years ago. Some trees seem resistants. The second Reine Claude is still intact. The Mirabelle I gave to a neighbor, while still very small is not affected. I think Canada is banning the import of all European plums trees because they may carry a disease that is not present on canadian soil yet. They try to prevent an infestation. I saw lots of healthy plums in France while our trees are so sick here. I trust the infection they have in Europe is a different one. Good luck with your Mirabelle, it is such a treat to have this in our gardens, nothing store bought can compare!
Dominique

 

I have tasted both the standard Green Gage, and Reine Claude Doree. The two are kind of similar, but also have significant differences. The standard Green Gage has a slightly stronger unique Green Gage flavor. But the Reine Claude Doree is a little bit sweeter and has a delightful wonderful flavor. I'm typically the type of person who would prefer the sort of flavor in regular Green Gage, which is a bit more intense and "green" in aroma and flavor. However, I have to say that I slightly prefer the Reine Claude Doree more, if I was forced to choose. (Though I would prefer to have both varieties, if that were a choice) The Reine Claude Doree has a little bit of a more "mild" flavor, but it's not weak. It has a more "ripe" and "apricot" flavor, as good tasting as the best apricots that exist (though it is kind of "softer apricot" aroma than regular apricot). And actually, if you've ever tasted a Shiro plum (which can be a bit boring but still very good), the flavor of Reine Claude Doree half reminded me of that.
The flavor of the standard Green Gage is just a tiny bit more "crass" by comparison, and has just a tiny bit of the aroma of grass (not that I dislike the smell of grass). The flavor of the standard Green Gage has some flavor of pluot and a little bit of nectarine, and some of the "green" flavor of Japanese ume plum (if you have ever tasted that).

I'd say if you have tasted regular Green Gage, you already have 60 percent of the idea what Reine Claude Doree tastes like. But it could still be worth seeking out Reine Claude Doree. I'd say the overall flavor of Reine Claude Doree might be 15 or 20 percent "better" (or more enjoyable) than standard Green Gage, even though standard Green Gage has maybe 20 or 30 percent more of the unique Green Gage flavor, and might just be a tiny bit "stronger" tasting.
I'm not the type of person who normally likes sweeter plums, so the fact that I think Reine Claude Doree (which is the sweeter one) is a little more enjoyable must have to do with other factors.

The Reine Claude Doree also definitely has a slightly smaller fruit size. The color of the Reine Claude Doree fruit (on my tree) almost takes on a "white" color or a very pale yellow-green color, looking a little different from most online pictures I've seen of it.