Valor

When the rest of the plum orchard has more or less called it a year, Valor is still there, keeping the season alive for a little longer.

Valor was introduced as a potential late main variety, and on paper it had much of what a commercial grower could want. It is self-fertile, can provide pollen for other compatible varieties and produces large, impressive fruit late in the season.

And impressive they certainly are.

Valor produces large, elongated, dark blue plums with the kind of appearance that looks fantastic in a sales basket. It is a plum people notice.

The flavour is good and classically plummy, although the flesh is somewhat firmer and drier than our juiciest varieties. It may not quite compete with Mallard and the other flavour bombs on that particular scale – but Valor has another card to play.

It arrives when the others are finished.

Just when the main crop has been harvested and we have started accepting that another plum season is over, Valor gives us roughly one more week.

On our farm it therefore has a useful double role: as a pollinating variety in the orchard and as an attractive late plum for direct sales.

It may not be the plum that starts the party.

But Valor gets to turn off the lights.

- Late variety that closes our plum season
- Large, attractive and elongated dark blue fruit
- Self-fertile and useful as a pollinating variety
- Good, classic plum flavour
- Slightly firmer and drier flesh than many other varieties
- Extends our plum season by roughly another week
- Used as a pollinating variety on our farm
- Particularly useful for direct sales late in the season