Prunus domestica Stanley - Common plum

The Stanley Plum is a vigorous variety, with quick fruiting and good regular production. It produces large, elongated, dark purple-red fruits that turn almost black when ripe. Their flesh is green, firm, and sweet. They are ideal for making prunes. Harvest takes place in early September. The Stanley Plum is self-fertile and an excellent pollinator.

The word "Quetsche" means "Damson Plum" in Alsatian. Quetsche plums therefore originate from Syria, a country that has supplied many varieties of plums since the Middle Ages. The Stanley Quetsche variety was selected in the United States, at the Geneva Station in New York, in 1926. It is the result of cross-breeding between the Prune d'Ente and the Grand Duke.

This fruit tree naturally grows up to 8 meters (26 feet) tall when fully mature. Its upright habit gives it an elegant silhouette in the garden. It is not very demanding in terms of soil type, as long as there is no limestone present. Its leaves are ovate, almost oblong, with serrated edges and a slightly pubescent surface. Flowering occurs in late March and is quite spread out. The tree becomes completely covered with white flowers that appear on the previous year's branches. They are self-fertile. The tree itself is an excellent pollinator for other plum trees. The large, elongated fruits are dark purple-red, turning almost black when ripe. Their flesh is green, firm, and sweet, making them ideal for making prunes.

Plums can be eaten raw at the base of the tree, in fruit salads, as well as in desserts, pastries, and as accompaniments to meat and dishes. They can be transformed into jams, of course, but also into fruit in syrup, compotes. They can also be used to make brandy. You can also dry them in the sun during the summer, pitted and hung in a garland on a string, or in the oven.