I would like to know if the Canada Plum produces good quality edible fruit (either for eating off the tree or for canning). How does it compare to the Pembina Plum or the Brook varieties for fruit quality, and hardiness on the Canadian prairies? Thanks, Bob
I am not so sure that the Canada Plum is all that good for fresh eating. Various online sources give the impression the fruit is on the sour side for fresh eating but is a good Plum for canning. Prunus nigra Ait. Canada plum Canada plum (Prunus nigra) Jim
Very large variation from tree to tree, both in size and taste. Some trees have very bitter skinned fruit. Others are just sour under the skin, but the bulk of the fruit is sweet. Fruit is cling stone. Note that the prunus family cross breeds freely, so you get all kinds of intermediate characteristics. I suspect that most of the cross breeds are sterile, but the existence of cherry-plums would indicate that this isn't always the case. I just dug up 4 volunteers from a local acreage that had surplus ones, and got about a thousand seeds too. My plan is to have them to sell as pollinators for domestic hybrid plums.
