Saturday, August 02, 2014

A plum by any other name…

As most of you probably know by now, our garden here in France is the remains of a small orchard planted by farmers of the past. I’ve written before of the pleasures of picking fresh cherries in July and taking home with us a supply of apples for the winter, leaving behind the tiny cider apples which only the birds and wasps will enjoy. What I don’t think I’ve written about before is our plum tree.

It stands, or rather leans away from the prevailing westerly wind, in the corner of the garden next to the entrance from the road. It's small and old and only fruits erratically, but this year it has been laden with fruit which we know from past years is always wonderfully sweet and juicy. The fruit is light green, with a yellowish tinge when ripe, and has the most beautiful bloom.

Being the kind of gardener who knows by name only the most common varieties of fruit and flowers, I’ve always just called this our plum tree. To my deep pleasure I discovered  a couple of weeks ago that it's actually a greengage, so this has memorably become my greengage summer. 

There is something so old-fashioned, so evocative, about the name greengage. To an English woman like myself it conjures up images of old houses with walled gardens full of gnarled fruit trees, with boughs bent under the weight of fruit. It also makes me think of jams and jellies and pies and puddings, greengages having the reputation of being one of the very finest-flavoured plums.

Thanks to the recent warm weather, the fruit ripened early and all at once. With rain forecast for today, yesterday afternoon DH and I sprang into action. DH brought out his wonderful French fruit-picking ladder and climbed up into the branches, while I trotted back and forth to the kitchen with bags of fruit until he decided he couldn’t safely reach any more.
 
Not all the fruit made it to the kitchen

Now I had to decide what to do with over 20 pounds of fruit. First we had the ripest poached for supper, then I sat listening to my favourite French radio station while I stoned a bowlful for jam and left them to macerate overnight, as instructed by my favourite jam recipe.  

Plums to the left of me, plums to the right of me...

With several pounds of delicious and delicately-coloured greengage jam to add to the stock of apricot I’ve already made this summer, I don’t think there’s any chance we will run out of jam in the foreseeable future. Now all I have to do is to stone and gently poach the rest and we will have fruit for dessert from now until it’s time to pack up and go home. Greengages, anyone…?



55 comments:

  1. I've just bought a barquette (punnet) of those that the lady had labelled reine claude plums. Made an apple cake with them and some blackberries, instead of apples. Smells lovely but must wait til supper to taste.

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    1. Yes, Reine Claude is the French name for greengages, Rosie. There are the bigger ones like ours and also a smaller and very green variety called Reine Claude verte. I hadn't thought of baking with them, but that's a great idea. I have a recipe for apple cake. so will save some to try it.

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  2. Yes, please - we had a greengage plum tree at our previous house, and it was the one big regret I had when we move - there are no other plums that compare to it's lovely flavour - enjoy. I have just made some nectarine jam using your recipe as they are so cheap at the moment.

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    1. I wish I could send you some, Rosemary, as we have lots. I'm seriously thinking of planting a greengage when we get back home, so that when we're older and not travelling to France any more I'll have a fruiting tree there, though it had better be a dwarf variety.

      Mmm, nectarine jam is a lovely idea. Next year perhaps - i have enough jam for a good long time...

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  3. Hari Om
    Me, me mmemmeee.... oh what memories and I'd adore to taste greengage jam again. It was one of mother's favourites and we actually had a tree at our Norwich Road house in Ipswich!!! A Bramley apple tree too. Strewth how the images and flavours sparkle in mind. You are certainly keeping as busy as ever dear lady! YAM xx

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    1. As I said to Rosemary, I do wish I could share them, Yam. We have such an abundance this year. I'd never tried making jam with them before, which is a shame as it really is gorgeous. Yes, you're right - images and flavours stay in the memory for a very long time.

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  4. Greengage Plums, how nice they look, and I can well imagine how tasty they might be. We used to have a plum tree many years ago, a purple plum. Unfortunately, the tree had black rot and had to be cut down. Plums in the stores are not the same. Enjoy your produce.

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    1. What a shame you lost your plum tree, Bonnie, as you're quite right. Plums are best eaten straight from the tree. So far we've sampled the jam and had them stewed for dessert tonight. If I had my pickling spices here, I'd even try making chutney. :-)

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  5. Oh, they look delicious. Greengage certainly brings to mind the same images that you describe. Enjoy.

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    1. They really are good, Susan. I'm glad it's not just me for whom the word conjures up such images.

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  6. Oh yum and thrice yum. I adore greengages (when fully ripe) and used to eat them by the handful as a child. They are slightly rounder and smaller than most plums and the flavour is gorgeous.
    My father didn't grow fruit at that time but many of my friends had trees in their gardens and in war time and for a while after, fruit was only readily available from private gardens.
    Those and Morello cherries were, and still are my favourite fruit.

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    1. In that case you'd love these, Ray, as they are now beautifully ripe and extremely juicy and sweet. I wish I could send you some. I can promise you that quite a lot of those we picked are being eaten raw. :-) Our tree often produces very little or none, so it's a real treat to have a big crop.

      I grew up with my mother growing bush fruit such as blackcurrants and gooseberries, but we never had a fruit tree until we moved to Wales and had an ancient Victoria plum which by then was almost horizontal. The greengages are so much tastier.

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  7. My mouth is watering, Perpetua, at you greengage summer. What a feast for the senses. In the past few days, I read a tantalized post and recipe for an apricot breakfast pie. It was basically a filling made with the apricots and topped with a crust - I guess just one crust let it become a breakfast dish. :) Enjoy the rest of your greengages and here's to a long winter's worth of jam.

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    1. Mmm, breakfast pie. Now there's an idea, Penny. :-) We're still eating them raw as i haven't finished processing them all. They are truly delicious when stewed gently and eaten with cream or yoghurt. We can't take them back with us, so we have to enjoy them now.

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  8. I recognised the fruit as greengage as a child we had two of those trees. Their jam is delicious!! A little tale re greengages ... as a young teenager, when going with 'the parent's is childish [don't most young adults go through that stage] I chose to stay home whilst my parents went out one Sunday afternoon. They came home to freshly baked hot scones and greengage jam ... some young teenager hadn't wasted her time:)

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    1. I bet greengages grow really well in New Zealand, Shirley. I love your greengage story and admire your resourcefulness at not only making scones but the jam to go with them. I imagine your parents didn't mind leaving you at home after that. :-)

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  9. Nothing more satisfying than making jam from your own fruit. My figs are just starting to ripen now and I'll be starting non fig jam within the next couple of weeks x

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    1. I love it, Yyak and envy you your figs. Fresh figs are one of my favourites, but sadly they won't fruit properly as far north as Normandy. Enjoy your jam-making.

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    2. Perpetua...
      they should fruit perfectly happily in Normandy!
      It is just a mater of getting the right variety...
      and your local pepineriste should be able to set you right.
      I know of good productive trees as far north as Durham...
      a sunny wall helps fruiting...
      and bury a large "regard" with its lid as the bottom...
      that will restrain the roots and force it to fruit...
      and don't bother with the "knocking off" of the little fruit in Autumn....
      a cold snap will do that anyway.
      BUT... pinch off any small fruits that'll never develop [called breba figs] in late September.
      You should be able to get a variety for Welsh Wales, too.
      OK, you'll never get enough for jam making.... but, you will have enough to enjoy fresh with cream...
      and poach any that don't ripen fully in white or rosé wine with added honey and a vanilla pod.

      On the "Wren-Claw'd" front...
      [actually it wasn't the wren that pecked them all...
      it was the young blackbirds]...
      we've bottled the best...
      stewed the rest...
      we had some of the stewed tonight....
      with a wonderful "Spiced Courgette Cake" and créme fraiche....
      a sort of instant trifle....
      tomorrow I will be using the trusty...
      I said trusty, not rusty; it is in Inox...
      Mouli to puree another batch...
      for Greengage sorbet....
      with a touch of our neighbour's Mirabelle Eau-de-Vie to stop it freezing too hard.
      If you haven't an ice-cream machine...
      worry not....
      use a box in the freezer...
      every thirty mins. scrape the frozen away from the sides...
      and base, with a wooden spatula....
      then whisk briskly with a fork and return to the freezer....
      the harder you beat it, the less like a "granita" it will be!
      Enjoy!!

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    3. Sorry, Perpetua....
      "every thirty mins. scrape the frozen away from the sides... "
      should say:
      every thirty mins., until you cannot do it easily, scrape the frozen away from the sides...

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    4. Thanks so much for the wise advice about fig trees, Tim. However, given that we're always back in the UK by mid-September at the latest, I think I ought to try a fig tree back home in Wales, or only the birds would benefit. I can plant it alongside the greengage that will be going in as soon as I can arrange it. :)

      I love the idea of your greengage sorbet, if a drop of calva would work as well as eau-de-vie. I still have a few left so will head for the kitchen now and start pureeing....

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    5. For figs in Wales, Perpetua....
      read this:
      http://www.gardenofwales.org.uk/?page_id=7833

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    6. Many thanks, Tim. Very helpful.

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  10. How delightful, Perpetua. The final product, the jars turned upside down, reminds me of summers in my grandmother's kitchen. I can remember the plum jam, or it might have been jelly, she made, and I haven't thought of that in such a long time. I can't even remember how she did it, but I do remember the jars! :-) How lovely that your tree is producing so well this year. I would certainly enjoy all the fruit trees in your orchard. I can tell you that. :-) I'm so glad you're enjoying your summer, my friend. It sounds wonderful.

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    1. It's been a lot of fun, Debra. How interesting that your grandmother used the upside-down method for sealing jam jars. I had never heard of it until I started making jam in France using a French jam-making recipe book recommended by a friend. It's such a simple and sensible idea and works perfectly, so i now use it all the time, whatever the recipe.

      We're revelling in the abundant crop this year, as it could be several more before we get such bounty again.

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  11. I'm thinking of all of us, all over the northern hemisphere, with our abundant gardens and trees right now. For us it's zucchinis, unfortunately, but we have a dwarf apple tree with fruit that should be ready in a few weeks. And a LOT of grapes. I love the richness of summer!

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    1. It's been a wonderfully abundant summer this year, Linda, and lots of my friends here have gardens bursting with courgettes/zucchini. You can make cakes with them, you know, as well as lovely dishes like ratatouille. I really envy you your grapes - such refreshing fruit. :-)

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  12. Amazing, 20 lbs of fruit from one tree, Perpetua. I have never seen or tasted greengages, but reading all the comments gives the distinct impression of something very delicious indeed! Perhaps I'd better look out for anything greengage in Paris? Of course, no stone fruit tree will grow here - much too tropical :) Enjoy the fruits of your labour!

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    1. Yes, it's a lot, Patricia and there was more high up which DH couldn't reach. As you see, I've made jam and we're eating them raw too, ass well as cooking and freezing them for later use. In France they are known as Reines Claudes and are very popular and widely grown, so you may be lucky. :)

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  13. Greengage wine? Do you have a juicer?

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    1. A nice thought, but we don't have the equipment, sadly. Still, they aren't going to waste...:)

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  14. I have never even heard of a greengage plum, but now I find myself wanting to try one! Something I like to do with the Italian prune plums that are so abundant here in the late summer is put them in my dehydrator and dry them out. You might be able to use your oven at a very low temperature and try drying some of the remaining plums. They are wonderful to have during the winter months. Now I'm going to click on the link to the recipe for your jam to see why on earth the jars are turned upside down. :-)

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    1. The Canadian climate may be too extreme for greengages, Kristie, though I'd have thought they would grow near the coast. They are particularly sweet and juicy plums and delicious eaten raw or cooked. sadly my French oven is too basic to have a reliable low setting, so i don't think drying them is on. I'll just have to finish stoning and stewing them gently, ready to freeze for the weeks to come.

      The upside-down method for sealing jam jars works beautifully and I always do it now.

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  15. I had always wondered what a greengage was and now I know! I had an idea that it was something like a gooseberry, I think. Your jam looks wonderful, I am sure it will be delicious and it will remind you of summertime in France all year long!

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    1. I too had heard of them, Jennifer, but never consciously eaten one fresh, though I do remember my mother buying greengage jam as a treat. I'm pleased with the way my jam has turned out and it will make a very pleasant change from apricot. :) Yes, my jam always reminds me of France.

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  16. There's nothing better than fruit straight from your own trees, fresh or preserved. We're trying to add one or two in the limited space of our English garden. First the figs, now an apple and we're hoping the plum tree grown from a plum stone will one day produce fruit.

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    1. You're so right, Linda. We'd been eating them straight from the tree for a little while before the main crop suddenly ripened almost overnight. I do hope your fruit trees flourish. I'm now determined to plant a greengage at home in Wales so that we can go on enjoying them even if we no longer come to France.

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  17. I should have talked with you about greengage jam before I attempted it... the incredibly high pectin level has resulted in something resembling green glue......and will be discarded as soon as I summon up the energy to wash out the jars. Luckily I only made a couple of jars...not having the luxury of such a wonderful tree in the garden...but I was looking forward to it.... I shall try again, less sugar, less boiling !

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    1. Janice, my greengages are the large yellowish kind and the French recipe actually said to add the juice of one lemon for each kg of stined fruit, so I'm guessing their sweetness needed it. I suspect your greengages were the smaller and very green Reines Claudes vertes with much higher pectin levels. Which method did you use - French maceration and more gentle cooking or English 'add water and boil'?

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    2. Yes... I see it all now.... mistake after mistake...following an English recipe was the first error. I should have known after macerating peaches and apricots and obtaining fabulous jam...... and yes, my greengages were the Reines Claudes vertes.... the pectin level must have been sky high. You can stretch the stuff I have produced.....lesson learned !

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    3. Don't worry, you're not the first to make this kind of mistake. I remember making damson cheese for the first time and overcooking it to such an extent I had to use a sharp knife to cut it out of the jars before I could throw it away!

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  18. Oh, yes PLEASE! ;) I adore greengages, they are my favourite of all stoned fruit. But twenty pounds? Well done you for making use of it all. We are lucky enough to have the old house with the walled garden and even the old fruit trees, but our one greengage tree only occasionally favours us with a good yield. The last one was five years ago...and funnily enough, I have just finished my last jealously hoarded pot of jam from that summer. Poached, they are even better though. Enjoy!

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    1. I know, it's a lot, DB, and I wish we could ship some over to you. :-) However I've managed to use them all, between making jam, eating them raw and cooking and freezing them for future puddings. Is it a greengage thing, do you think, only to crop well occasionally? This is only the second decent crop in our 8 summers here.

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  19. Mmmmm - it all looks and sounds delicious.
    Greengage is a word, that to this colonial, brings up images of Englishwomen in white dresses and big hats, sitting in gardens and sipping tea with buttered bread and greengage jam.
    Have you thought of a chutney or relish with the plums? There are some good recipes - I will share one if you want it.

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    1. It really is delicious, Pondside. I'm delighted to think that the word greengage conjures up the same kind of county house living in your mind as in mine. Something out of a Merchant Ivory film perhaps?

      Chutney is a lovely idea which had occurred to me, but sadly all my pickling spices are in the UK and I didn't want to start buying more. Another time...

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  20. Oh Perpetua you sent me back home ! I loved the Reine-Claude plums. I did not know the name greengage so I checked. Voila – the green plum was “created” in France following the discovery of a green plum tree imported from Asia Minor. The plums were named in honor of Claude de France (1499-1524) wife of Francis I. Then British Sir William Gage, 7th Baronet, imported them into England in 1724. The label on the plum tree was lost so they gave the plums the name of the Baronet, adding “green.” Then they exported them to the American colonies where they were grown on George Washington’s plantation as well as Thomas Jefferson's. But now they are hard to find. I have never seen them in the US. Another plum I like a lot and cannot find in the US is the gold “Mirabelle” so sweet. My mother used to make a “clafoutis” with the reine-claude. I have the recipe but it is in French – anyway you may be able to translate it –
    Clafoutis au prunes reine-claude
    3 oeufs
    - 110 g de sucre en poudre
    - 110 g de farine
    - 35 cl de lait
    - 1 cuillère à soupe de crème liquide semie-épaisse
    - 30 g d beurre
    - 600 g de prunes reine-claude
    Battre les oeufs avec le sucre et ajouter la farine petit à petit. ajouter le lait et la crème ainsi que le beurre fondu ( quelques secondes au micro-ondes). Couper les prunes en 2 et enlever le noyau. Disposer les dans un plat beurré côté bombé au-dessus et napper avec la préparation. Mettre au four (200°) pendant environ 40 min (il faut qu'il soit un peu doré). A la sortie du four saupoudrer de sucre et laisser refroidir.
    I guess you could always freeze them in an air-tight container so you could have them in winter. Another thing we used to eat was tapioca pudding with a reine-claude sauce. My mum would cook the plums with a bit of calvados, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon, slowly until they became like a compote. Then cool the sauce and serve it on top of the tapioca pudding. Yum!

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    1. Gosh, what a wonderfully detailed and informative comment, Vagabonde. Yes, I can well imagine that the sight of Reine Claude plums would transport you back to your French childhood and call up some very vivid memories of delicious meals.

      Thank you SO much for the clafoutis recipe which I can read and use in French quite comfortably. I still have some greengages left, and all the other ingredients too, so I will try this tomorrow. I've seen recipes for cherry clafoutis, but never for greengage, so look forward very much to sampling it. Your mother's sauce sounds good too. I hadn't though of adding calva when cooking reines claudes. :-)

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  21. Yum! You could make crumble too. My mouth's watering at the thought. :)

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    1. Crumble was my very first thought, Sarah, so I made one when we had visitors a couple of weeks ago. It was gorgeous. Crumble never fails to hit the spot.:-)

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  22. The first time I ever ate a greengage to my knowledge was after buying some "reine claude" plums on the market in Le Grand-Pressigny during our first visit.
    I was amazed how sweet and delicious they were and now look forward to them arriving on the market stalls each year.
    Plum crumble, cake, cobbler and clafoutis are my favourite ways to use them. They also go extremely well with apples and strawberries. The hot fruit salad recipe on my blog is a lovely way to have them, mixed with other stone fruit.
    The BBC Food and Good Food websites are both excellent sources of recipes where you might find some more ideas.
    You could of course just cook them and freeze them for future enjoyment. Lucky you to have such a thing as a greengage tree in your garden!

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    1. The are amazingly sweet and delicious, Jean, but I didn't have clue ours were greengages until this summer. I'm now determined to plant a tree in the UK - a September-fruiting one so that I can have two goes at them. :) Who knows - your new house may have a greengage tree or room to plant one...

      Thanks so much for all your suggestions for using them, which I've made a note of. I'll now have hunt for your hot fruit salad recipe. This year's crop are now cooked and in the freezer for us to enjoy between now and our return to the UK at the beginning of September.

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  23. Hello Perpetua,

    Yes, please!

    We love Greengages but one seldom sees them these days. An ancient parent of ours used to make Greengage jam with great success and it is very versatile. As you say, it is a great accompaniment to meat whilst also being able to stand alone deliciously with only bread and butter for company.

    How lucky you are to have them right outside your own front door but, not so lucky to have to deal with them. But, oh, what a fabulous taste of summer to be able to look forward to from your winter store cupboard. Yummmmmm!

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    1. Hello, Jane and Lance.

      From what I can gather, France is the place to be for greengages as they are still widely grown here and available in the markets. The greengage jam is now in the cupboard waiting to go home with us and the rest are in the freezer for desserts during the remainder of our stay.

      Thankfully we only get a big crop every few years, or I don't know what I would do with all the fruit. Having been brought up to be thrifty, I can't bear to see it go to waste. Such a pity I can't share it with with all my readers.

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  24. Greengages have to be my favourite fruit ... I would so love to have a greengage tree.

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    1. They are wonderful, aren't they, Annie? I'm already researching greengages so that we can plant one back in Wales, a September-fruiting one, so that we're sure to be there when they are ripe. :)

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