About damson plums, mirabelles, Löhr plums and prunes
Since the first week of August, we've been harvesting plums: damsons, mirabelles, prunes, and damsons. These varieties are subspecies of plum and differ in taste. Unfortunately, the plums on a single tree don't all ripen at the same time; they have to be harvested over several weeks.
The best time to harvest is when the plums detach from the branch and fall. To achieve this, we gently shake the branches (too hard would be foolish, as unripe plums would also fall) and then gather them from the ground by hand – essentially, we're harvesting stone fruit. Yes, it's hard on the back.
Differences
Difference in size and color
As you can easily see in the picture, damson plums are our smallest plums. You have to pick four or five of them to get the same quantity as one damson plum. Besides, it can sometimes be a bit of a fiddly job to fish them out of the grass.
Of course, I like the Löhr plums and the damsons the best, because their size fills the buckets the fastest. ;-)
Long harvest season
We harvest the stone fruit for about 6 weeks, and at regular intervals, 3 to 4 times a week.
Botanical difference
If we consider these stone fruit varieties botanically, we can structure them as follows:
Aroma and taste
Zibarte
The damson plum, due to its small size relative to its flesh, has a high stone content. Its flavor is sweet and tart, and the peel is slightly bitter. When fully ripe, it becomes very soft. The flesh is yellow, while the skin is a greenish-grayish-yellowish-violet palette (a color variation that is somewhat difficult to describe). The distillate is very intriguing, fruity, yet with a distinctive character, and very typical of the variety. It recently won a gold medal at the Baden Best Spirits competition.
Löhr plum
Even sweeter than the Mirabelle plum, it's no wonder it's affectionately called "Zuckerpflümli" (sugar plum) in its native Switzerland. Here too, the presence of the stone in the distillate imparts a subtle bitter almond note alongside the fruity aroma. This little plum is my absolute favorite among all plums.
Mirabelle
The mirabelle plum is very sweet, and I love to snack on it straight from the tree. The flesh is as yellow as the skin. This little plum is simply wonderful. The mirabelle is an absolute classic around Lake Constance and should be in every schnapps cabinet.
plum
It has lost some of its positive image in recent years and simply isn't trendy. Whatever the reason, it's absolutely fantastic aromatically! This one has a lot of pulp and a large stone. In the distillate, this translates into a very well-balanced aroma. The judges at Baden Best Spirits agreed and awarded this distillate a gold medal.
All our plums are distilled with the stone so that we can capture the typical marzipan aroma or bitter almond note in the distillate.
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Author Andrea
Not only do I love distilling, but I also enjoy sharing my knowledge, experience, and passion. In my blog posts, I take you on a journey through everyday life at our distillery and on our small business. Of course, there are also drinks to enjoy along the way.
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