The Denbigh Plum

Cherry

By luigi_pagano

Thu, 21 Feb 2019
  • 2676 reads
12 comments
 

 

To see if it was genuine and not a sham
a produce was legally protected in the EU.
It applied to Champagne and Parma ham
alongside Cornish Pasties and Stilton too.

A protected status has now been awarded
to a native Welsh fruit, the Denbigh plum.
I am so excited - I don't know about you -
but I'll endeavour to buy and sample some.

A dark-red fruit, strewn with golden dots,
the flesh sweet and juicy and full flavoured.
It is usually eaten but it can end in jam pots
for the preserve to be made and savoured.

If you love plums you'll be keenly waiting
for the October Denbigh Plum Festival
when the whole town will be celebrating
the famous drupe and Autumn's arrival.

© Luigi Pagano 2019

Certificate U
Poem
Are you being versed?
Nature
Miscellaneous

Comments

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

I'd never heard of it. I had an aunt who lived there, and as a child I remember being annoyed at my mother laughing at my attempt to spell the word as she had instructed me: 'Den big h' she said, and I'd written 'DenH'! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Oh, it is official Rhiannon. You can read it here.
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/local-news/denbigh-plum-joins-champagne...

As regards spelling, I see that you followed the instructions to the letter and got it wrong. I would probably have made the same mistake.  I am told that nowadays phonetics is a better alternative for learning words. I wouldn't know as in my days we didn't have phonetics.

Luigi x

 

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

A delicious juicy poem indeed Luigi. 

Jenny. xx

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

I love juicy plums, Jenny. I have a Victoria Plum tree in my garden.

Luigi xx

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

How interesting Luigi - and I'd never heard the word 'drupe' before - had to google it

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

The English language is rich with such little 'gems', Claudine. I learn new ones every day but this was already in my personal dictionary..
Many thanks for the cherished cherries.

Luigi x

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

An interesting poem Luigi!  Nowadays because of supermarkets I guess, the same varieties are grown everywhere. But this means that maybe sometimes they do less well in a particular area than an older variety that specialised in that particular soil and climate.  Maybe the reason for the ubiquity of the newer variety is longer shelf life and not flavour. So if you buy some they like a dry/sour golf ball for a week, and then perhaps the last one in the box is sweet.

I love the idea of a plum festival. Instead of plums going to people, the people must go to the plum, like the plum is an emperor or something :0) And all the trees in blossom in the Spring must be beautiful :0)

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

There is no comparison between the fruit bought in supermarkets, often imported and refrigerated, and that locally grown and picked straight from the tree, when in season.
Also there are some varieties which fare better in a particular soil and area and whose quality cannot be replicated elsewhere.
As far as the festival is concerned I wonder if the organisers consider it a plum job.

Kind regards Di.

Luigi x

 

 

 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

they would have to be posh, plummy accent essential

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Ha, ha. yes

Cheers, Di.

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

Really interesting. I have actually heard of this plum because I used to work at a fruit farm and I believe we had a couple of these trees. On a day when the experts are talking about a lack of diversity in our food crops, this piece is very apt.

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

It is nice to hear from someone who has knowledge of the Denbigh plum at first hand. I haven't as yet sampled its delicacy. I learnt of the attribution of special status to this fruit from a newspaper headline which piqued my curiosity and have since read about its attributes, It seems that it is held in high regard in horticultural circles.
Many thanks for letting me have your obsevations, Jane.

Regards, Luigi