Yellow Egg Plums Don't Grow True From Seed

When we lived around Evesham someone once told me that yellow egg plums grow true from seed. That's one of the reasons there are so many around that area, they'd often grow them around the outside of the market gardens as an extra cash crop. 

Well even though I know the science of why it shouldn't be true I took a punt and dug up a seedling from mum and dads farm. I planted it about 8 years ago. 

Seedlings often take longer to crop than a grafted tree so I was patient and waited. 

This year it has proved what I already thought to be true. They don't grow true from seed (although I guess sometimes they might get fairly near). Instead what we've grown is our own variety of gage.

The small plums are quite hard when picked off the tree, but soon soften when stored for a day or so. Quite a few maggot about, but that's to be expected when growing them with no measures other than a bit of pruning (and that's more to keep the suckers cut down). 

We've no other plums this year so these have come at a great time. I have dried plums on my breakfast every day in the summer and I know I'd really miss them if I didn't have them. 

The boy and me harvested a good sized half bucket full in a very short space of time. They hung on the tree like grapes. 

We picked them Friday and then the girls helped me prepare them for the dehydrator on Sunday. As we cut them in half we could only use every other tray to fit them in, so just four trays in for the next day before we do another batch. Hopefully to provide next years dried fruit for my breakfast! 

Anyone else have a favourite bit of preserving they have to do every year?