Читать книгу The Taste of Britain - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall - Страница 6

DESCRIPTION:

A MEDIUM-LARGE RED DESSERT PLUM, OF OVAL-OBLONG SHAPE; IT HAS GOLDEN YELLOW FLESH AND AN EXCELLENT RICH FLAVOUR. THE HARVEST IS VERY SHORT, FROM THE SECOND TO THIRD WEEKS IN AUGUST.

HISTORY:

This is a localized plum variety, grown in and around one village in Devon. It is sometimes known as the Dittisham Small Red and, locally, as the Dittisham Ploughman. It is a chance seedling, appreciated in the locality and propagated by suckers. This process (see Cambridge Gage, p.112) is common to a number of plum varieties in England. The Kea in Cornwall is very like the Dittisham although smaller and with a slightly later season.

A number of myths luxuriate around the supposed origin of this plum: that they were grown from a cargo of fruit or from seedlings dumped by a ship, the villagers planting trees in their gardens; or that the original plum came from Holland or Germany, and that the name ‘ploughman’ is a corruption of the German for plum, Pflaume; or that the nuns of the Priory of Cornworthy, nearby, brought them to the district in centuries past. There is nothing to substantiate any of these beliefs.

Oral tradition is that before motor transport, people from towns as far away as Plymouth came by horse and cart (a journey of several hours) to collect large quantities of plums. The variety was received at the National Fruit Trials in 1949. A liqueur based on these plums is now available locally. The fruit is macerated in grain spirit.

TECHNIQUE:

Dittisham lies at sea level on the estuary of the River Dart, a wide, drowned valley which opens on to the south coast of Devon. The climate is mild and sheltered, protected from the north and west winds by high hills. The soil is slightly acid and shaley. Local people claim that this plum will not flourish anywhere but Dittisham. It is propagated from suckers, and most cottage gardens in the area contain an example. There are also orchards, which generally receive little attention except at fruiting time. Under normal circumstances, the plums flower and fruit without difficulty, but easterly winds during the flowering season may adversely affect the blossoms and, therefore, the crop.

REGION OF PRODUCTION:

SOUTH WEST ENGLAND.