Red plum: varieties and features of the application

Cherry plum is a fruit garden tree belonging to the family Pink subfamily Plum.This fruit is known to many people because of its sour taste, which is why housewives often make bilberries for the winter.

Homeland cherry plum is the North Caucasus and Western Asia. Wild varieties of this culture have found their distribution in the highlands of Moldova and southern Ukraine. And especially frost-resistant varieties grown gardeners of Siberia. Also plum is common in northern and southern regions of Russia.

Cherry plum belongs to the subspecies of plum and is characterized by a medium term ripening. You can learn the plant by sprawling crown, pointed elliptical leaves and white single flowers. The culture begins to bloom in early May, and the first fruits can be tasted as early as July.

Cherry plums have a rounded shape. The color of the ripe fruit has shades of red or maroon or red and purple, but you can see almost black fruits. You can recognize them by a light wax coating and a weak longitudinal groove.

The growth of the cherry plum tree usually varies from 3 to 10 meters. The first harvest can be obtained from a young shrub within a couple of years after planting. Cherry plum yield is high, which is due to the rapid growth of the crown. With one adult tree at the end of the season you can collect 250-300 kg of fruit.

This type of garden culture is widely distributed, as it has many varieties. There are species that are resistant not only to droughts, but also to frost. They are actively grown in the cold regions of Russia.

Alycha is propagated by seed, otvodnymi and graft methods. To achieve better pollination, it is necessary to plant several varieties of crops simultaneously.

Cherry trees prefer an abundance of sunlight, and therefore they can only be found on well-lit areas.

Cherry stands out for its beneficial properties. It contains trace elements, minerals and vitamins, which have a beneficial effect on many systems of the human body. Despite the fact that the fruits are sweet enough, they contain a minimum amount of sugar. 180 g of fruit contains 15 g of carbohydrates and some protein. Differs culture complete lack of fat.

Adults with overweight, it is desirable to add cherry plum in your diet, as it has a small caloric content.

The amount of nutrients in the fruit depends on the type of plant. But absolutely all types are rich in B vitamins, which are necessary for the stable operation of the human body. For example, vitamin B1 is needed to stimulate the nervous and muscular systems. It also has a good effect on the activity of the digestive tract.

People with constant fatigue and increased irritability should eat cherry plum because of pyridoxine in it, which normalizes the work of the nervous system. The activity of the central nervous system is also positively affected by ascorbic acid, which is part of this amazing product.

Babies eating cherry plum fruit helps to improve the clarity of vision, which occurs due to vitamin A, which is found in fruits in sufficient quantity. In addition, vitamin A has beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system and prevents the formation of tumors and cancer cells in children with oncology.

Vitamin E and nicotinic acid can reduce blood cholesterol levels and have a beneficial effect on the skin.

People with hypertension cherry plum will reduce blood pressure. And for those who suffer from insomnia, this fruit will help to normalize sleep.

It is believed that cherry plum helps to fight a cold cough and sore throat. And it is especially important that it can be used by allergy sufferers and people of old age.

Despite the huge number of positive qualities, plum has several disadvantages.It is contraindicated in people suffering from stomach ulcers and gallbladder diseases, as it contains citric and ascorbic acids. Also, cherry plum fruits can not be used for problems with the duodenum.

Today, there are more than 100 varieties of cherry plum, most of which have been bred. They differ not only in appearance, but also in terms of yield and winter hardiness.

• Ruby plum does not require special care and grows well in changeable weather conditions. This variety stably yields, even if during the flowering and ripening of the fruits there have been sharp temperature drops. The fruits of the “Ruby” variety have a bright maroon color and are distinguished by a sweet taste without sourness.

• "Red Ball" - a shrub 2.5 m high. It differs in a small number of spreading branches, which makes the crown not particularly thick. "Red ball" blooms in early spring with white flowers. The fruits are red with a purple tinge and have a sweet taste with a slight sour taste.

• "Red Meat" - low-growing plant, whose height can reach 5 m. It does not tolerate cold winters, and therefore grows in the southern regions of the country. Reddish cherry plum blooms with white and pink flowers, and its fruits may have red, yellow or blue color.

• "Lama" grows in the mountainous regions of the North Caucasus. The peculiarity of the variety is the unpretentiousness to the growing conditions and good resistance to natural changes. The height of the shrub does not exceed 2 m, which facilitates harvesting. You can learn “Lamu” by the long leaves of the lanceolate form of green-burgundy color. The fruits have a red color and pink flesh.

• Red leaf TSHA differs in the late period of ripening and self-fertility, therefore pollinators are necessary for its fruiting. This variety is bred by breeders in order to increase its winter hardiness. "Red leaf" plum is most often used by gardeners to decorate the site, as it is a small shrub with red leaves. Culture blooms with pink flowers and bears fruits of red-brown color with a sweet-sour taste.

• "Kuban comet" - the most common variety that has received its distribution due to its excellent winter-hardy qualities. Differs "Comet" round fruits of purple color, which have a sweet-sour taste.

• "Red ribbon" differs in annual high productivity. Shrubs of this variety have a small height that does not exceed 2.5 m. They already bear fruit 2-3 years after planting, bringing up to 50 kg of fruit. "Red Ribbon" is not afraid of frost and major diseases, but because it is actively grown by gardeners in central Russia.

• Cleopatra - a medium-yielding tree with a height of no more than 4 m. The first harvest from it can be collected only 4 years after planting, which distinguishes it from other varieties. "Cleopatra" is resistant to frost and disease, and therefore has become widespread in the Moscow region and central Russia.

• "Traveler" - a ripening tree with a height of 3-4 m. It starts fruiting 3 years after planting and brings more than 20 kg of fruits. Due to the high winter hardiness and resistance to viral diseases, the “Traveler” can be found not only in the Caucasus, but also in the Moscow region.

• "Found" - variety, bred by breeders to improve the adaptive properties and taste of fruit. Grow it in the south and north-west of the country. The tree does not exceed 3 m in height. It blooms in early April and is distinguished by an abundant amount of white flowers. The fruits have a red-purple color and orange flesh, as well as a sweet and sour taste.

Description of varieties allows to distinguish between early varieties, mid-season and late varieties of plum. At the beginning of the last century, this plant was found exclusively in the south of the country and grew in wild conditions.Thanks to the work of breeders, the culture has acquired properties that allow it to expand the range of growth. Many varieties have changed the original size and color of the fruit, as well as the time of ripening.

Cherry plum has a lot of positive qualities that allows you to use it in various spheres of life. It is actively used in medicine, cosmetology and cooking.

The use of cherry plum for medical purposes is due to the fact that there are substances in the fruit that have a beneficial effect on the human body. The high content of potassium helps to prevent arrhythmia, strengthen the heart muscle and get rid of excess fluid.

Cherry blossom is often consumed by people prone to depressive conditions. It is believed that it relaxes and soothes the central nervous system, which eliminates the occurrence of stress.

Traditional medicine actively uses cherry plum for the treatment of headaches. To reduce the pressure it is recommended to eat about 300 grams of fruit.

Orycha contains the minimum amount of sugars, so it is recommended to use it for people who suffer from diabetes. For the same reason, it is recommended to apply for the normalization of metabolic processes.

In cosmetology, cherry plum has found wide application due to the anti-aging properties of the culture. From the fruits of the plant make all kinds of masks that help get rid of shine. To create a mask, you need to crush the pulp of 2 fruits, pour it with clean warm water, and leave it overnight. As soon as the mixture is infused, it can be applied to problem skin.

In order to rejuvenate the skin, alych stones and pulp are made of scrub, which is applied with massaging movements for 15-20 minutes. The same mixture allows you to fight acne.

Cherry fruits have a unique taste and aroma, so they are most often used in cooking. You can make wine, jam, marmalade, jam, compote from cherry plum. It is also good that the fruits retain their original properties even in dried or canned form.

Reviews of Caucasian gardeners say that even lavash can be made from cherry plum. This dish is endowed with nutritional and dietary properties, which prevents the formation of scurvy. In addition, this pita has a long shelf life.

There are quite a few recipes in which the main ingredient is cherry plum. And the culinary field is not limited to preparations for the winter.

Unusual recipes using cherry plums will be given below.

To implement this recipe you need to prepare:

• 1 kg of cherry plum;
• head of garlic;
• 1 tablespoon of herbs;
• bunch of dill;
• salt;
• sugar;
• a pinch of red pepper.

Pure fruits are poured with water and set on low heat. After the mixture boils, the water is poured into a separate container, and the plum is drained of stones and ground with a meat grinder. In the resulting porridge pour a mug of drained water and put the mixture to boil over low heat. An hour later, finely chopped herbs and garlic are added to the finished mashed potatoes and seasoned with spices.

To make this flavored cake, you will need:

• 200 ml of semolina;
• 200 ml of kefir;
• 120 g of sugar;
• 2 eggs;
• 2 tablespoons baking powder;
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon;
• 300 g cherry plum.

Semolina is mixed with sugar and kefir and allowed to brew for half an hour. Then add eggs, cinnamon and baking powder to the mixture. The resulting dough is poured on a baking sheet, and sliced ​​cherry plums are laid out on top. All is plentifully sprinkled with sugar and put in the oven, preheated to 180, for 1 hour.

For this recipe you need to prepare:

• 200 g cherry plum;
• 500 g of cottage cheese;
• 80 g sugar;
• 80 g of flour;
• 2 eggs;
• 50 ml of vegetable oil;
• a pinch of salt;
• half a teaspoon of baking powder;
• some vanilla.

In a deep bowl, mix cottage cheese and sugar.Then, eggs are hammered into the resulting gruel, flour is added, sugar, baking powder and everything is mixed. The cherry plum is separated from the stones and cut into small pieces, then added to the dough. In a preheated pan, pour the butter and spread the formed cheesecakes.

See the following video for the recipe for cherry plum sauce.