41. Blaisdon Red - Plum

Season :  Harvest in August - the plums tend to ripen all at                  once  (another plus for the old commercial jam makers.)

Pollination : Self Fertile

Rootstock : Pixy  (although this tree is a ‘true plum’ and would                         grow well to a large tree without grafting)

Notes :

 A heritage variety traditionally loved for its rich claret-red colour and excellent jam making qualities

The fruit are medium sized, long oval to egg-shaped with a neck to the stem. They have claret red to purple bloomy skin, with golden yellow flesh and a clinging stone.

It has a high pectin content, and the perfect acidity for jam making.

If left to ripen fully on the tree, it is also a good eating plum, with a strong, sweet tangy quality.

Once used extensively for jam making in Blaisdon, Glos, it was also used to make wine and a liquer.  It has since  lost out in popularity to larger varieties - some would say at the sacrifice of  flavour.

Prunus domestica ‘Blaisdon Red’

The Blaison Red Plum was ‘discovered’ in a hedge by John Dowding in the later 19th century, first recorded in 1892, in the village of Blaisdon, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.

100 years ago Blaisdon orchards were plentiful, with growers supplying Sullivans jam factory in Guiting Power. Many Forest of Dean colliers used to spend their holidays picking the crop.The factory eventually closed and the Blaisdons declined in popularity

It is said that Blaisdons were found in the Antarctic huts of the ill-fated Scott expedition as they are reputed to assist in combating the effects of extreme cold.

What is left of the old Blaisdon orchards are considered important for  the regional biodiversity, and are associated with the rare Noble Chafer Beetle.