The Klondike Nugget: A New Yakima Valley Fruit
After nearly two decades of experimentation, a local farmer unveils a plum variety that promises to outshine the industry standard.
The 'Klondike Nugget' is the name given to a new plum, originated and cultivated by Frank Ailing at the Allington farm. For about eighteen years, Mr. Ailing has been experimenting at his farm to produce a plum superior to Coe's Golden Drop, and has succeeded in obtaining some new varieties which were unsatisfactory in quality, taste, and in bearing too late. This year he has succeeded in successfully cultivating a new and most delicious plum, superior in every way to the Golden Drop. The new plum is more than double in size, ripens at the same time, has the same size freestone pit, is a beautiful golden yellow, has a thin skin, is very juicy, and of much finer flavor. It possesses all of the most desirable qualities of a dessert fruit. Competent judges have sampled this new plum and pronounced it decidedly superior in every respect to the celebrated Golden Drop. The tree is a wonderful bearer, with strong wood and straight growth.
“Competent judges have sampled this new plum and pronounced it decidedly superior in every respect to the celebrated Golden Drop.”
The Yakima Valley remains a global powerhouse for stone fruit production, though the specific varieties have shifted over the last century. This story captures the era of 'pomological boosterism,' where individual farmers acted as amateur scientists to secure a competitive edge in the regional market.
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