Mirabelle Plums

Growing exciting and unique plants is one of the most exciting aspects of starting and maintaining a home garden. Heirloom vegetables, nut trees, and fruits are beautiful additions for those looking to increase their harvests and access specialty fruits and vegetables.

The Mirabelle plum, a rare fruit tree, has begun to make its way into gardens across the country.

What exactly is a Mirabelle Plum?

Mirabelle plums are a small, sweet fruit commonly grown in France’s Lorraine region. These high-sugar plums are well-known for their use in jams, jellies, baked goods, and fruit brandy (known as eau de vie).

Though Mirabelle plums can be grown in the home garden, actual Mirabelle fruit (produced in France) will not be found in the United States due to fresh fruit import bans.

While many gardeners may be perplexed as to why Mirabelles are prohibited in the United States, this is mainly due to difficulties in importing high-quality, fresh products.

Mirabelle Plum Tree Planting

Fortunately, for those unable to travel to France, many varieties of Mirabelle plums can be grown in home gardens across the country. Mature plants can reach heights of up to 12 feet and are hardy to USDA growing zones 5-8. (3.5 m.).

Aside from regular fruit tree pruning and fertilization routines, care and maintenance are generally trouble-free. Growers must first find a supplier before they can plant Mirabelle plums.

Because of the nature of this fruit tree, it may not be easy to find in local nurseries or garden centers. Mirabelle plum saplings, fortunately, can be purchased online. To ensure healthy and disease-free transplants, make sure to order from reputable suppliers when ordering online.

Immerse the rootball in water for an hour before planting when preparing to transplant fruit trees. Choose a well-draining location with at least eight hours of direct sunlight per day. Add high-quality compost to the planting area.

Excavate the planting hole twice as wide and deep as the tree’s root ball. Fill the hole with soil, taking care not to cover the tree’s crown.

Though sometimes listed as self-fertile or self-fruitful, Mirabelle plums benefit from planting an additional pollinator tree to increase yields and harvests.

‘Mirabelle Plum de Metz’ and ‘Mirabelle Plum de Nancy’ are two popular Mirabelle plum varieties.

Which Kind Of Fruit Is A Mirabelle

The mirabelle plum is the edible drupaceous fruit of the mirabelle plum tree, a cultivar of the plum tree genus Prunus. The plum is thought to have been bred from a wild fruit found in Anatolia.

The Mirabelle is distinguished by its small, oval shape, smooth-textured flesh, and, most notably, its red or dark yellow color that appears flecked.

They are well-known for being sweet and flavorful. The fruit is mainly used in fruit preserves and dessert pies, and its juice is frequently fermented into wine or distilled into plum brandy.

Ninety percent of mirabelle plums grown commercially are turned into jam (70 percent) or eau de vie (ten percent) (20 percent ). When eaten fresh, the plums are also delicious.

What Does Mirabelle Taste Like?

Mirabelles are delicious when eaten raw. The flavor is similar to the plum, but there’s also a hint of something exotic, such as the slightest hint of coconut.

They’re typically eaten still hard and sour in Romania, but I prefer if they have a little more share with them.