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Lone Tree Grows Heavenly Pluots
by Karola Saekel
Wednesday, July 19, 2000
You wouldn't have found them in the Garden
of Eden, but Pluots from Lone Tree farm are sweet enough to tempt any
Adam or Eve.
This hybrid fruit was developed more than 20 years ago by
Floyd Zaiger of Zaiger Nursery in Modesto, which used to be known as Zaiger
Genetics. Purists' objections made the Zaiger family change the name --
law suits are still swirling around the controversy -- but for lovers
of sweet and juicy summer fruit, that's of little concern.
The Pluot -- 70 percent plum, 30 percent apricot -- is an offspring that
surpasses its parents in many respects. For one thing, it is sturdier
and has a longer shelf life than either of its antecedents. But unlike
some fruit varieties that have been developed with an eye to durability
to the detriment of flavor, the Pluot excels in the taste department as
well. It has the chin-dripping juiciness of a fully ripe plum without
the notoriously tough skin and tart center typical of the parent fruit.
The Pluot's complete nutrition profile is still being established, but
it is believed to be close to the apricot's, which is a good source of
vitamin C and a powerhouse of vitamin A.
In addition, Pluots have a lot of versatility, says Steve
Brenkwitz, a fifth-generation stone-fruit farmer who cultivates 200 acres
of apricot, Plumcot (50 percent plum, 50 percent apricot) and Pluot trees
in Tracy on his Lone Tree/Brenkwitz Farm.
The farm, originally located in Hayward, was started in the 1860s by his
great-great-grandfather Frank Wrede. ``We don't know if he was German
or Polish,'' Brenkwitz says with a laugh. ``He was from one of those areas
that changed nationality with every war.'' Brenkwitz, 45, has been working
on the family farm since he was 12 years old. Even though he says Pluots
are a ``challenging'' fruit to grow, he devotes between 25 and 30 percent
of his orchards to them. Zaiger has developed and patented many kinds
of the fruit; Lone Tree grows 25 varieties. Brenkwitz is hard put to
name his favorite, but it might well be Flavor Heart, a large fruit with
almost black skin, contrasted by luscious greenish-yellow flesh. It is
one of the sweetest fruits, registering as high as 24 on the Brix scale
that measures sugar content. Most Pluots, which range in color from green
to gold and pink, deep red and black, hover around 16 to 18 Brix, which
still makes them satisfyingly sweet.
Despite his devotion to his crops -- he grows only apricots,
Plumcots and Pluots -- Brenkwitz is not optimistic about the future of
the family farm. ``There is no money in it anymore,'' he says.
He doesn't go the farmers' market route, although he sells
to some dealers who supply farmers' markets. Mostly, his fruit is sold
at stores such as Raley's. Some is exported to Europe, and he also has
sold fruit to Taiwan. Japan is not a customer. For reasons he says he
doesn't understand, Brenkwitz says Japanese importers want nothing to
do with apricots or anything related to them. He has recently moved his
150- year-old farm squarely into the 21st century, selling fruit online.
And he does believe that Pluots have a future, simply because they are
so delicious.
Basically, he says this fruit should be eaten out of hand,
but he admits to a personal favorite that requires cooking the fruit:
Take a tart variety like Flavor King, cook it down with a little sugar
and, when it's cool, spoon over ice cream. It's one way to make the Flavor
King into a royal treat, the farmer says.
Lone Tree/Brenkwitz Farm, 3711-A W. Kenner Road, Tracy.
Phone (209) 832-5891 or (888) 882-7742 or click onto the Web site at www.edengarden.com.
Pluots are currently in short supply but are available at Raley's markets
in Northern California and Berkeley Bowl and Monterey Foods in Berkeley.
Pluots will be more widely available later this month and through the
end of August.
Karola Saekel is a Chronicle staff writer.
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