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Damson Harvest at Gattertop – A Guide to Damsons
It will come as no surprise that we are huge fans of the damson. Once commonly found in lots of gardens, today have become somewhat of a rarity. For those of you less well acquainted with these delicious orchard fruits, we’ve compiled a short guide:
WHAT IS A DAMSON?
A form of wild plum it is small and oval in shape, with a slight point at one end. The fruit is a colour somewhere between indigo and black, with delicate soft, smoky bloom.
The damson tree has a small, white flower and blooms in early April. The fruit is harvested from late August to September. Damson trees can take a long time to bear fruit, as an old saying attests:
“He who plants plums, plants for his sons. He who plants damsons, plants for his grandsons.”
WHAT DOES A DAMSON TASTE LIKE?
It has a sharp, tart taste and is often stewed or cooked down due to its stringent taste. If you pick one too soon, you could bite into a very sour plum, while a fully ripe plum boasts a sweet-sour flavour that is bitter unless added with other sweeteners. Damsons are delicious in crumbles, jams and jellies with damson wine once being a very popular drink in England.
THE HISTORY OF THE FRUIT
The word damson comes from the Latin “damascenum”, which means “plum of Damascus.” It is thought that the species originated in or near to Damascus, the capital of modern-day Syria and was introduced to Great Britain by the Romans. Remains of damsons have frequently been discovered in archaeological digs of ancient Roman camps across England. Anecdotal evidence suggests that damsons were used in the British dye and cloth manufacturing industries during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Damsons were commonly grown for centuries in many British orchards and used in pies and jams until after the Second World War, when the rationing of sugar and changing tastes caused them to decline in popularity.
WHY WE CHOSE DAMSONS
Gattertop is the name of the family orchard where our damsons are grown. Dating back to the Doomsday era where the orchard is mentioned as Gadredehope, many of the trees are ancient and integral to the Herefordshire landscape and local wildlife.
Having an orchard of damson nowadays is rare as typically they are less profitable and take a long time to mature. Rather uniquely Gattertop has a glut of mature damson trees which have been baring for many years.
Founder, Gemma Standeven saw the abundance of damsons produced by her family orchard and was inspired. Choosing vodka as the base of her spirit Gemma wanted to champion the unique taste of the damson and began to make small batches of damson liqueur for friends and family. The first of her orchard-inspired creations was born, welcoming our now internationally acclaimed, damson vodka liqueur, Damson No12.
