Have you seen the Damsons?

Jeanette has often related the story of the Latkes. Here it is again, if you haven’t heard it yet:  A Jewish friend invited us to an outdoor event associated with one of the Jewish religious festivals (I cannot recall  the correct name). This friend was bubbling over with excitement, as we had not been to such an event before, and we would meet a number of her Jewish friends, and get to savour some of their typical foods and snacks which would be on sale at the stalls.

One such promise was, “Jeanette, you must remind me to introduce you to the Latkes.” (pronounced ‘Lutt- kahs’). And so it came to pass that we moved around the site and were introduced to the Cohens and Rabinowitz’s and others. When it came to getting something to eat, you can imagine our surprise when her friend, tra-la-la-la-la, introduced… the Latkes… not a family from Sea Point, but a traditional Jewish snack, being a shallow-fried pancake of grated potato, flour and egg, flavoured with grated onion and seasoning!

Now, I need to ask: Have I introduced you to the Damsons?

Yes, you guessed – they are not a family living in the Reikorangi valley. No, they are part of the 2014 Chartwell Summer Harvest. I’ve shown the lemons and the plums: Yesterday, Tyler harvested the crop of Damson Plums for further treatment. I am not sure whether the blackbirds scavenged most of the crop, or whether this is merely a late harvest, but the haul was not overly large, by any stretch of the imagination.

Above: Part of the small harvest. Damsons are not all that big, scarcely bigger than very large grapes, with a purplish skin and greenish-yellow flesh – As they are extremely sharp to the taste, they are not really a fruit for eating off the tree.

The main characteristic of the Damson is its distinctive rich flavour; unlike other plums it is both high in sugars and highly astringent (see below). The fruit of the damson can also be identified by its shape, which is usually ovoid and slightly pointed at one end; its smooth-textured yellow-green flesh; Most damsons are of the "clingstone" type, where the flesh adheres to the stone.

 Astringent:
The taste of foodstuffs can broadly be categorised into 6 groups: Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, Pungent, and Astringent. While the first four tastes are probably recognizable, the last two may not seem familiar. Pungent taste is hot and spicy as found in a chilli pepper, while Astringent taste is dry and light as found in popcorn.