Scrummy Plums
Lynda Hallinan feasts her way through the plum season to choose the best varieties for eating fresh in summer or preserving in jams, jellies, sauces and chutneys for winterSo many plums, so little time to try them all: this time last year I set myself the task of taste-testing as many varieties of plum as possible during their fast but furious fruiting season. As well as picking my own plums, I bought them by the bagful from roadside stalls, fruit stores and farmers’ markets, and helped myself to any on friends’ or relatives’ trees too. I ate some fresh from the tree, stewed others with cinnamon to serve on breakfast cereal, bottled mountains of them (whole, using the waterbath method) and filled shelves with jars of jam, chutney and spicy sauce. Even then I couldn’t get through them all in time. I froze 20kg (freeflow, in large ziplock plastic bags) – and yes, I must confess that most are still in the freezer – and our tubby kunekune pigs were only too happy to clean up the leftovers.
Anyone with a gnarly old plum tree will tell you that one prolific tree is usually more than enough to satisfy most families. But which variety to choose? I could never limit myself to just one – in fact I’ve planted 29 plum trees so far, in 10 different varieties: ‘Damson’, ‘Elephant Heart’, ‘Hawera’, ‘Satsuma’, ‘Shiro’, ‘Fortune’, ‘Gobstopper Teak Gold’, ‘Santa Rosa’, the prune plum ‘Stanley’ and ‘Spring Satin’ plumcots. Plums do well here in Hunua and, since our neighbours bought bee hives, we get huge crops so it makes sense to grow lots of them. Plus, by planting a mix of varieties, we can eat fresh plums from late December until the end of February. Or at least we could, if I add ‘Billington’ (early) and ‘Omega’ (late) to my next winter fruit tree order.
PLUM CHOICES
There are two types of plum, European and Japanese, and the key difference between the two species is flowering time. Japanese plums burst into blossom in very early spring (or late winter in my garden), leaving them vulnerable to frost damage, whereas European varieties produce later – and therefore safer – blossoms. For this reason, European plums are recommended for southern gardens.
Most European plums, ‘English Greengage’ being the most famous example, also need more chilling time than northern gardens can offer, though ‘Damson’ is the exception to this rule. It crops well up right to the Bombay Hills.
In frost-free gardens, stick to reliable fruiters like ‘Burbank’, ‘Duff’s Early Jewel’, ‘Elephant Heart’, ‘Santa Rosa’, and ‘Purple King’. Or seek out New Zealand heirlooms from Kay Baxter’s Koanga Collection. Koanga’s range includes ‘Tamaki Special’, ‘Dan’s Early’, ‘Black Prince’ and ‘Marabella’.
PLUM POLLINATION
Plums failing to fruit? Pollination issues are usually to blame – either due to a lack of bees, or a lack of compatible pollinators. Self-fertile plums that don’t need a pollinator include ‘Damson’, ‘Reine Claude de Bavay’, ‘Italian’ and ‘Stanley’ prunes, ‘Hawera’, ‘Santa Rosa’, ‘Billington’ and ‘Duff’s Early Jewel’. Self-fertile plums also happen to make excellent pollinators, as they’re long-flowering and produce lots of pollen. Pair ‘Santa Rosa’ with Japanese plums and ‘Coe’s Golden Drop’ with European varieties.
BEST FLAVOUR: ‘LUISA’
The plum that thinks it’s an apricot, or a mango, or a nectarine. Self-fertile ‘Luisa’ is to-die-for delicious, with large, blushing yellow-red, heart-shaped, freestone fruit. Runner-up: ‘English Greengage’. Flavour is the reason the Brits adore this green plum.
THE BIGGEST: ‘FORTUNE’
My new favourite for making jam, this very large, ruby-red plum is essential for homemade Shrewsbury biscuits. It can also be picked firm to ripen fully off the tree. Runner-up: ‘Purple King’.
TOP CROPPER: ‘HAWERA’
A Taranaki classic, ‘Hawera’ has large, firm, juicy, tasty red fruit – and heaps of them. Runners-up: ‘Satsuma’ and ‘Burbank’.
BEST CHRISTMAS CROPS
Organic orchardists Murray Joyce and Rob Velseboer grow 38 types of plum in their Riverhead orchard to supply the Parnell Farmers’ Market in central Auckland. They rate ‘Tamaki Special’ – “it’s ripe by Christmas but hangs well on the tree ‘til the third week of January without turning squishy,” says Rob – and ‘Marabella’. “This little Christmas plum is incredibly prolific, with thousands of plums per tree. My parents had one by the beach and it kept all the neighbours fed too.”
FOR SMALL GARDENS
Plant ‘Sultan’ or ‘Damson’. ‘Sultan’ is very tasty, adds Rob Velseboer, though heed his warning: “Never eat a ripe ‘Sultan’ if you’re in a white t-shirt – it’s an explosion of red juice.”
BEST LATE PLUM: ‘OMEGA’
The winner by a country mile, ‘Omega’ is worth waiting for each summer. Runner-up: ‘Stanley’. Our fruit columnist Kate Marshall says ‘Stanley’ (a prune plum) is also her favourite late variety for eating fresh. “It’s very sweet, and I have a sweet tooth.”
PLUM TREE CARE
Plums don’t need pampering or fertiliser. Mow or weed around young trees and, when planting new plums, bear in mind that many are grafted onto peach rootstock, so they won’t tolerate heavy soil/clay. Also, choose a planting spot that’s sheltered from your prevailing spring winds, or expect to lose most of the blossoms (and hence, the fruit).
PRUNING PLUM TREES
Don’t prune your plums in winter. They’re susceptible to diseases like bacterial blast if pruned in wet conditions. Plus, if you prune in winter, they overcompensate and madly produce loads of sappy water shoots that are useless from a productive point of view and ruin the shape of your tree. Instead, wait until you’ve picked the last ripe plum in summer, then trim back any branches that are too long/tall for your liking.
