A ‘Plum’ Special Treat

September 27, 2023

Dining locally at Suze restaurant for dinner is something my husband and I enjoy doing a few times a month. So, for my birthday just a few weeks ago, it was my first choice. As always, the appetizers and entrées were superb, but it was the dessert that left us swooning. 

Gilbert Garza, our dear friend and chef-owner, said he would be bringing out an “off the menu” dessert for us. He mentioned that one of the ingredients was only seasonally available and in his words, “difficult to get my hands on”. But, as luck would have it, that special ingredient had been delivered to the restaurant earlier in the day.

As we leisurely finished the main course, Gilbert appeared with a bowl of something so intriguing it required an explanation. As told to us by Gilbert, once a year he puts in a request for a very hard to obtain plum from California known as Green Gage Plum. His dessert presentation was an artfully designed bowl of caramelized Green Gage plums warmed and served with house made vanilla gelato, crushed almond tuille and crème anglaise. Freshly harvested spearmint with a splash of balsamic was the final touch. It was a perfectly delicious, light and refreshing birthday treat!

Curious as to the unusually sweet taste of the rather small green plums, we did an internet search later that evening to learn more. The story behind Green Gage plums was fascinating.

‘Green Gage’ Plum (Prunus domestica) produces fruit that is sublimely sweet. They are a naturally occurring hybrid of the European plum, Prunus domestica and P. insititia, a species that includes Damsons and Mirabelles. Possibly, first grown in Iran in ancient times, the plums were spread to early civilizations along the Silk Road. In the 16^th century they were planted in the royal gardens of Francis I in France. 

Green Gage plums were brought to England by Sir William Gage in the 18^th century. The story is told that Gage purchased a tree from Paris and planted it in his home garden. Having lost the label that identified the tree, Gage eventually renamed the tree after himself. Green Gage plums then spread throughout Europe, Asia, New Zealand and Australia. 

On March 31, 1773, Thomas Jefferson recorded sending slips of the tree to Monticello. In 1783, he planted twenty-one of these trees in the South Orchard. Records from Monticello show that Green Gage Plum was the most intensively documented variety of fruit that Jefferson grew at Monticello.

In describing the look, texture and taste of Green Gage plums, we found the following information helpful. Green Gage plums are small, averaging 2 to 4 centimeters in diameter with a round, ovate to oval shape, curved shoulders and a slightly flattened base.  The plum’s skin is smooth, taut, and thin, ranging in color with variegated hues of green and yellow to gold. Beneath the surface, the flesh is dense, finely textured and succulent, displaying yellow-green hues with a translucent quality. 

After finishing every tiny morsel of our dessert, Gilbert brought out a few Green Gage plums for us to sample. We agreed with the vivid description from Specialty Produce…” Greengage plums have a sweet, honeyed and syrup-like flesh with a balanced and ambrosial flavor composed of dried apricot, ripe mango and citrus marmalade nuances.” 

Don’t be misled by their green-colored appearance, which is often associated with unripe, sour flavors. What we experienced was an exceptionally sweet tasting plums, both enjoyable and suitable for eating fresh!

An update on our plum journey: The next morning, we ordered two Green Gage plum trees from plantmegreen.com. They arrived last week and are now at home in our Texas garden. 

Growing Information

Green Gage Plums can be grown in USDA zones 5 through 9. They thrive in regions with sunny, hot summers combined with cool nights. We followed the planting instructions and placed them in a sheltered, sunny area of our garden with well-draining, fertile soil. We are hoping that the trees will be ready for a bountiful plum harvest by summer to late fall of 2024.

Linda Alexander, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2008

What’s happening at Raincatcher’s Garden: We are harvesting okra, peppers, eggplant, black-eyed peas, and long beans. Radish seeds are being planted anywhere there is unused growing space.