Everyone “Likes” the Pluots!

Every week, we get feedback from clients like “Love those Rainier Cherries!” Or “Keep those Pink Pearl Apples coming!!” Right now, the fruit of the month seems to be our delicious array of pluots. They seem to be the perfect candy substitute - sweet, crunchy, and nutritious. Many of you have been wondering how we manage to provide so many different pluots, so we thought we would give you a "behind the trees" perspective of how our farmers produce this tasty fruit. A rootstock is part of a plant, often an underground part, from which new above-ground growth can be produced. It could also be described as a stem with a well developed root system, to which a bud from another plant is grafted.

In grafting, it refers to a plant, sometimes just a stump, which already has an established, healthy root system, onto which a cutting or a bud from another plant is grafted. In some cases, such as vines of grapes and other berries, cuttings may be used for rootstocks, the roots being established in nursery conditions before planting them out. The plant part grafted onto the rootstock is usually called the scion.

The scion is the plant that has the properties that propagator desires above ground, including the photosynthetic activity and the fruit or decorative properties. The rootstock is selected for its interaction with the soil, providing the roots and the stem to support the new plant, obtaining the necessary soil water and minerals, and resisting the relevant pests and diseases. After a few weeks the tissues of the two parts will have grown together, eventually forming a single plant. After some years it may be difficult to detect the site of the graft although the product always contains the components of two genetically different plants.

So there you have it. You can now add rootstock, grafting, and scion to your fruit lexicon!

This week's delivery includes:

- Washington extra fancy Honeycrisp apples - Organic Flavor Heart pluots - Organic yellow nectarines - Bartlett pears - Organic Flavorich pluots - Rainforest Alliance-certified bananas