Interesting facts about Victoria plum

The Victoria plum is a famous English plum with a yellow flesh and mottled or red-colored skin. The Victoria plum is the cultivator of the group egg plum. The fruit is generally ovate or oval with a greenish yellowish ground color mostly covered in purple. The skin of this fruit is easy to pull off, but its stone is semi-clinging which doesn’t necessarily come off entirely from its flesh. The flesh is light yellow and is quite rough. During the time of its full maturity and sound development, the flesh of the plum is tasty and sweet.

In some places, the Victoria plum has a maturation period during mid to late September. This plum is known to be a great household and good table fruit. The tree of the Victoria plum fruit is generally not very large but is hardy and thrives. The bloom is self-fertile and mostly medium early. This plum tree rarely gets attacked by diseases, but its fruits are mold. Due to the high fruit production, the tree rarely gets old. Several research studies have shown that the Victoria plum contains anthocyanin chrysanthemum.

Interesting facts about Victoria plum

1. The fruit’s name – Victoria’s plum- came from Queen Victoria. This variety of plum was first discovered in the gardens of Alderton, Sussex but Sussex never had a place named Alderton. To explain the origin of this variety. In 1844, the fruit was commercially introduced in Sweden by Denyer’s nursery owner. The owner introduced the fruit under the name of Denyer’s Victoria in the country. As a result, with its rapid popularity across the country, it became known as Victoria’s plum.
2. The assortment of nutritional components – the fruit is known for its variety of healthy ingredients and minerals, and vitamins. It is rich in vitamin C and serves as a great source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin B1, B2, B3 and B6, B9, and vitamin E. With a range of minerals ranging from potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, iron, calcium, fluoride, and zinc, it is filled with isatin, sorbitol, and dietary fibers.
3. The amazing health benefits – Victoria’s plum is known to provide relief from influenza infections and indigestion along with various anxiety-related problems.
4. The power of antioxidants – the fruit with its antioxidant capacity is known for treating various ailments such as muscular degeneration, osteoporosis, diabetes, cancer, slow development of diseases called Alzheimer’s and cancer.
5. An excellent medium for reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes – the Victoria plum fruit contains a shallow glycemic index. Therefore, eating this fruit will help you control your blood sugar levels and thus reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
6. The fruit as a dessert has a taste that ranges from tart to sweet, and hence it is typically eaten as a fresh dessert fruit. It can also be cooked as a jam or compote or can be used to bake a wide variety of pastries.
7. Plum wine – prevalent in both Korea and Japan, along with its production in China, the plum wine or plum liquor is typically made with soaked plums and distilled liquor.
8. China, the leading producer of plums – accounts for up to about half the world’s population. China stands as the top producer of plums globally, followed by countries such as Romania, Iran, and Serbia.
9. In continents where this fruit is cultivated – except continent Antarctica, the fruit is grown and produced on every continent of the world. This fruit is primarily planted in countries falling under temperate zones.
10. One of the most domesticated fruits known from the ages – the plums are considered one of the most domesticated fruits by humans. Several archeological sites from the Neolithic age have shown the consumption of this fruit along with figs, grapes, and olives.
11. The fruit can even be pickled – in Japan, many plums known by ume are often preserved and pickled in a salty brine. This ume can sometimes be sweet and sometimes be sour condiment known as umeboshi. This umeboshi is typically served upon the top of rice. 
12. The leaves of the fruit – certain varieties of the plum fruit have oblong-shaped pointed tip leaves while the remaining others have very oval-shaped, serrated edged leaves. The leaves are usually green in color and are typically 5 to 10 centimeters long.
13. The flower buds of the trees – the tree’s main branches consist of flower buds that are mostly borne along with the terminal shoots or on the short spurs. Each bud consists of one to five flowers, but it is generally between two to three in most cases. Often the flowers project a densely packed and showy flower cluster-like appearance when the tree is in its full bloom.
14. Prunes – certain varieties of plum having high levels of sugar and firm flesh with qualities favoring their preservation from drying or dehydrating in the sun, are typically dried without resulting in fermentations. These plum varieties are known as prunes. 
15. The significance of the plum tree in Chinese mythology – along with its peony, the melhua or plum blossom is considered an essential floral emblem of china. The plum tree has a great significance in Chinese mythology and is often carved on various jade, associated with wisdom.
16. The derivation of the word “plum” – the word plum has been derived from an old English plume, meaning plum or plum tree. This word extended from the Germanic language to Middle Dutch, Latin, prume, and prunum.
17. Siljivovica, the national drink of Serbia – in the Balkans, the Serbian plum has been converted into an alcoholic beverage named the slivovitz. For the past few centuries, the slijivovica has been considered the national drink of Serbia and has been domestically produced, making the plum the country’s national fruit.
18. Popularly referred to as the stone fruit – the plum fruit is popularly referred to as a drupe or stone fruit, meaning the fruit is fleshy and is typically surrounded by a single hard-coated seed.
19. The typical composition of the fruit – like most fruits, Victoria’s plum is low in calories, fats, and proteins. In a 3.5 oz or 100 gms of amount, the raw plums generally supply about 46 calories. It is mainly composed of 11% carbohydrates, 87% water, 1% protein, and a minimal amount of fat, which sums up 1%.
20. The farmers tried some Unusual techniques to harvest plums – During 1905, in the valleys of Santa Clara, a farmer named Martin B. Seely hired about 500 monkeys for the cheap labour during the cultivation of plums. Surprisingly, the monkeys were quite reliable at the fruit picking, but they just ate up the crop.
21. The duration of Victoria plum tree to fruit – the Victoria plum tree produces a minimal crop every two to three years after its plantation. It reaches its full cropping capability after five years of its planting. One of this variety’s most familiar characteristic features is mostly over crops.
22. The picking of Victoria plums – between late August and early September, the Victoria plums are ripening. Still, this ripening can also vary from year to year, depending on local growing conditions.

Also Read This = Facts About Ugli Fruit