|
Plums
Including plantings in 2010 we grow around
1,130 plum trees, with a mixture of blood plums, Japanese,
and European plums. It's our largest crop as they do well in this area and seem to tolerate the recent dry conditions well.
| Amber
Jewel |
 |
Dark red, almost black skin. Bright amber-yellow flesh
is sweet and remains firm even when fully ripe.
Planted in 2004.
|
Picking Dates: 21 January to 10 February
|
back
to top |
|
| Angelina |
 |
European heritage variety dating from the 1840s. Smallish
fruit, dark purple skin with heavy bloom, dark yellow flesh.
Known as a very sweet plum, freestone. Prized for eating
and liqueur making due to the high sugar content.
|
Picking Dates: 18 Jan to 15 Feb
|
back
to top |
|
| Angeleno |
 |
Japanese, medium size. Deep purple skin over a red ground
colour, amber flesh. Colours well before ripe. Good flavour,
nice and sweet if allowed to ripen properly on tree. Stores
well, semi-clingstone.
|
Picking Dates: 2 to 14 March
|
back
to top |
|
| Autumn
Giant |
 |
Japanese, very large. Dark pink skin over a yellow background,
heavy bloom. Yellow flesh, very firm but softens when overripe.
Good sweet flavour when properly ripe, freestone. Fruit
falls from tree easily in wind when ripe, so harvesting
at right time is critical.
|
Picking Dates: 16 March to 5 April
|
back
to top |
|
| Eldorado |
 |
Eldorado has a bright red to reddish skin with purple
highlights. It has an amber flesh with a mellow, sweet flavor.
The plum stays firm during cooking, making it a great plum
for bottling.
Planted in 2004.
|
Picking Dates:
|
back
to top |
|
| Greengage |
 |
Greengage have a deep green skin that changes to golden
yellow, and gets a rose blush when fully ripe. The yellow
flesh is soft and succulent with a sweet honey flavour.
Planted in 2004.
|
Picking Dates: 25 to 30 January
|
back
to top |
|
| Pizzazz |
 |
Japanese, medium to large. Dark purple slightly acid skin,
yellow to greenish flesh when ripe. Clingstone, lovely flavour,
beautiful rich plum smell. Shy cropper. Coincides with cherry
season.
|
Picking Dates: 11 to 25 Jan
|
back
to top |
|
| President |
 |
European heritage variety dating from early
1900s. Large oval fruit with deep purple skin covered with
a heavy bloom. Colours before ripe. Yellow flesh, soft when
ripe. High acid, but sweet when fully ripe. Freestone with
a large cavity – very versatile plum, good for jam,
sauce, bottling, and prized for liqueur making if allowed
to get really ripe on the tree (though will drop if allowed
to over-ripen).
Plum Wine President plums are available in bulk. These plums get
very sweet if left on the tree to fully ripen, and many of our
customers purchase larger quantities for home-made wines
and liqueurs. Bulk orders can be made at the beginning of
the season and after payment of a deposit, we can leave
them on the tree to become deliciously sweet and ripe. To
make an order or enquire about plum sales, go to the Contact
Us page.
|
Picking Dates: 7 to 18 Feb
|
back
to top |
|
| Donsworth |
 |
Japanese blood plum, dark maroon, thin skin with obvious
green mottling. Good sweet flavour, clingstone. Lightish
red skin with clear to pink juice.
|
Picking Dates: 24 to 31 Jan
|
back
to top |
|
| Mariposa |
 |
Japanese blood plum, good size, regular cropper. Very good
flavour, keeps well. Dark red to purple skin, dark red flesh
with pink juice. Soft when ripe, lovely sweet flavour. Semi-freestone,
makes beautiful jam or plum sauce.
|
Picking Dates: 21 Jan to 15 Feb
|
back
to top |
|
| Ruby
Blood |
 |
Japanese blood plum, small to medium. Dark red to purple
mottled skin prone to blemish, dark red juicy flesh. Slightly
better than Mariposa for jam, sauce, bottling because freestone
and slightly more acid skin (maybe sets a little easier).
|
Picking Dates: 13 to 28 March
|
back
to top |
|
| Satsuma |
 |
Very dark, dense blood plum. Freestone, sweet with a tang.
Excellent for eating and processing.
|
Picking Dates: 16 to 25 January
|
back
to top |
|
|
|
