Plums
English plums have until recently been underestimated as imported fruit have been flooding the marketplace. However, the value of our Gloucestershire plums is now being better appreciated because they are so tasty; they can be picked closer to near full ripeness when the full flavour has been allowed to develop. Imported fruit has to be picked when hard and before the flavour can develop, to allow it to reach shops without going bad.
At Castle Fruit farm we grow a wide range of the finest varieties so that we can supply different plums from mid-July through to mid-September. Our farm shop opens from mid July for the start of Opal and continues selling plums until mid-September. We sell in bags, punnets and trays.
The varieties we grow and the time of their availability are shown below:
| Variety | Description | Approx time of ripening | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Herman |
Round, blue-black, reasonable flavour. Free stone. |
2nd week July | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opal |
Oval-oblong, reddish-purple, pale gold flesh, good flavour; almost free stone. |
Late July to early August | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reeves Seedling |
Very large, reddish-purple, round, juicy, yellow golden flesh, good flavour, free stone. |
Early to mid August | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Avalon |
Oval – oblong, reddish purple with yellow golden juicy flesh. Beautiful flavour. Free to partial cling stone. |
Early to mid August | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reine Claude D’Ouillon |
Green Gage, Large spherical, greeny yellow flesh, very sweet. |
Green Gage, Large spherical, greeny yellow flesh, very sweet. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jubileum |
Large mottled red plum, oval, freestone. Dessert and culinary use. |
Large mottled red plum, oval, freestone. Dessert and culinary use. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Victoria |
Medium to large, predom. red on yellow background with golden yellow flesh. Free stone. |
Medium to large, predom. red on yellow background with golden yellow flesh. Free stone. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Valor |
Large (over 40mm), oblong – oval blue- dark purple. Golden yellow flesh, juicy. Partial stone free, delicious. Stews similar to a damson producing rich dark red pulp. |
Late Aug to early Sept | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Marjorie Seedling |
Large oval oblong, blue black, greenish yellow flesh, of fair dessert quality with oblong stone. Medium sweet. |
Early to mid September | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
For Newent plums, Ledbury plums, English plums and tree ripe plums find out
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