Victoria Plum

The Victoria plum is a type of English plum. The name "Victoria" comes from Queen Victoria (1819–1901). The Victoria plum is one of the rarest varieties of English plum that belongs to the egg plum group called ‘Prunus Domestica’. It is an oval-shaped fruit with a red blotchy skin and a rough light yellow flesh. The hard stone-like seed present inside the fruit cannot be separated from the flesh easily. However, you can pull the skin off without any trouble and enjoy the rich sweet taste as well as flavor of the ripe, mature fruit.

There are lots of plum varieties but the outstanding variety for garden use is still ‘Victoria', which has been grown for over a century. Generally only one plum tree is planted and this is the one to plant. It is less prone to frost damage to its flowers than other varieties. The red-flushed yellow-orange fruit is of good flavour, sweet and juicy, in late August. The Victoria Plum is self fertile and, although cropping can be improved by a compatible pollination partner, it should fruit satisfactorily without one. The tree is quite hardy and grows strongly but is not very large. It is best described as small tree or large shrub. The bloom is medium-early and self-fertile. Flowers must be thinned heavily for the fruits to reach full development. The fruit is about the size of medium-sized tomato. Being a "drupe" family fruit, plum features a centrally placed single, smooth, flat but hard pit. 

 'Victoria' Plums make delicious pies and jams, or simply eat them straight from the tree in late August. They tend to have a sweet and tart taste, and you can eat them as is or use them in a variety of recipes as I have written tarts and pies, and cakes, jams, jellies etc. They are used in a variety of dishes and desserts and are mostly baked or poached. People love to serve them baked on cakes, tarts and you can surprise your little ones by spreading it's jam one day on a slice. It's simply delicious. You can also enjoy its juice which is very healthy and delicious.You can mix in some other fruits like grapes, apples with it. They go very well because they balance the taste of the pure plum which is at times very tangy to take pure.  Dried plum, known as Prunes, can be added to tarts, cakes, cupcakes, ice-creams, muffins etc. and children love to eat them. They add great taste to salads too. 

 It is loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It is also significantly low in calories and has no saturated fat.They can be beneficial if you're dieting. If you're on a carbohydrate-restricted weight-loss plan, plums are an excellent sweet snack, as each small plum contains just 7.5 grams of this nutrient. This makes a plum better for low-carbohydrate diets than a medium banana, which contains 15 grams of carbohydrates per serving. All these make it a good choice for promoting health.  They have a wide variety of  Vitamin B complex including Vitamin B3 (niacin), Vitamin B6 and certain phenolic acid compounds. They work directly on the fat, protein and carbohydrate content of our foodstuff and break them down. As a result, the process of our bodily metabolism becomes faster. It is a rich resource of dietary fibers. It has a moderate source of vitamin A and beta-carotene. Vitamin A is essential for good eye sight. Eating natural fruits rich in vitamin A has found to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers. Plums are plentiful in minerals like potassium, fluoride and iron. Iron is required for red blood cell formation. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Plums have a low glycemic index which means that eating a plum doesn't cause radical changes in your blood sugar levels. Plums are a good source of vitamin C, as each small fruit contains 7 percent of the daily suggested intake. Vitamin C is an antioxidant, so it can help protect your cells from free radical damage. Victoria Plum can also reduce the appearance of scar tissue by increasing the blood flow to scar tissue, minimizing the look of the scar and blending in the development of new skin. 

NOTE:-

Plums contain oxalic acid, a naturally-occurring substance found in some fruits and vegetables, which may crystallize as oxalate stones in the urinary tract in some people. Therefore, people with known oxalate urinary tract stones are advised to avoid eating plums. 

(all the pictures are sourced from internet)