Plum & plum's healthy qualities |
The Plum Brothers: story |
Once upon a time, two orphaned brothers lived with their wicked aunt. The two young boys were known as Little George and Little Freddy. One day, they escaped from their aunt's house and ran far, far away. They wandered for days, until finally they found an empty cottage in a small village. The elder of the two brothers, Little Freddy, asked his younger brother, Little George what they should do.
“How are we going to live here? We have no money.”
“We still have our arms and our legs,” replied Little George. “Tomorrow, we will find work.”
The brothers lay down to sleep, both very hungry.
“I am going to dream about delicious cakes,” said Little Freddy.
“And I'm going to dream that I am lying in an enchanted garden,” sighed his younger brother, falling into a deep sleep. In his dreams, he saw a beautiful fairy in a purple dress beckoning him to follow her. Entranced by the fairy, Little George followed her into a garden. All around him, he could see large, round-topped trees, covered with large, purple fruits.
“Where am I?” asked Little George, rubbing his eyes in amazement.
“You are in the plum fairy's garden. Try a plum,” replied the fairy with a smile. Little George tasted one of the soft, sweet-tasting fruits.
 “I have never tasted anything like this before!” he exclaimed.
“Your people have never planted plum trees before. It is not an easy process as they are difficult to care for – the fruits can freeze, they can become diseased and dry out,” explained the fairy.
“I would plant plum trees on Earth, if only I knew how,” replied Little George with a sigh. |
“If you are prepared to work hard, I will teach you,” offered the fairy.
“Are you eating in your sleep?” muttered Little Freddy, poking his sleeping brother.
“Freddy!” cried Little George excitedly. “The plum fairy gave me some fruit to eat. It was delicious! She was about to teach me how to grow plum trees – until you woke me up!”
“How can you eat all that food when I am still hungry?” asked his brother angrily.
Suddenly, they heard a tender voice calling them from outside the cottage. They ran into the yard and were surprised to see a newly planted sapling, covered in white blossom.
“The fairy has sent me to you from the plum kingdom,” said the sapling. “My fruit will bring you plentiful food.”
As Little Freddy stood dumbfounded, Little George answered the sapling as if nothing had happened.
“Thank you plum tree. May I introduce my brother – he has never seen plums before.”
“That may be so, but he will have seen the blackthorn – in the prickly hedge on the edge of the village. We plums are relatives of the blackthorn,” explained the plum tree.
“Now you mention it, it's fruits are very similar to yours,” replied Little George in amazement. “We have even eaten a few before, although some people say they are poisonous.”
“The blackthorn can be poisonous, yes, and it has very sharp thorns but it has many medicinal properties too,” explained the plum tree. “Its fruit, the sloes, can be used to treat fever, and brewing its flowers and drinking the infusion is good for the kidneys. If only your mother had known this, for she died from kidney disease.”
“The cure was growing right under our noses – but we didn't know about it,” replied one of the brothers, clearly upset by this news.
The magic plum tree flowered for just three days, but in this time produced plenty of pollen. At the end of summer, its branches were covered with purple fruits containing a greenish, juicy pulp. The brothers took some of the plums to the market, and bought food and supplies with the money they made.
They brothers worked hard, from early morning to late at night: first, they planted a blackthorn hedge around the garden, and then they prepared the soil for planting new plum trees. When the saplings appeared from the ground, the brothers were concerned about how tender and brittle they looked, but continued to follow the fairy's instructions to the letter. They protected the plum saplings with a blackthorn hedge, loosened the earth around them and trimmed the tiny branches. Despite the drought, the plum trees were constantly thirsty, and the brothers had to carry buckets from a nearby stream to water them. The little plum orchard grew, and in the autumn provided the brothers with their generous gift of fruit. Gradually, the young boys grew into fine young men, and the local people began to call them the Plum Brothers. The fruits of their garden became a source of food and medication for everyone.
As the number of patients in the village decreased, the local doctor became increasingly angry. He wrote a letter to the king, complaining about the charlatans who were feeding people poisonous fruit. The king sent one of his guards to bring the brothers to the palace.
The brothers both bowed down to the king.
“What have we done to anger you, Your Majesty?”
“Why do you give people poisonous fruits without my permission?” asked the king, his tone threatening.
“Your Majesty, nobody has died from eating our fruits,” answered the brothers together. “On the contrary, people are healthier.”
 One of the king's servants happened to live in the same village where the brothers grew their plum orchard. Bravely, he spoke out in support of the brothers.
“What they say is true, Your Majesty,” explained the servant.
Astonished, the king ordered the brothers to bring him some of the fruits from their garden.
Soon, the king was presented with two baskets, one containing fresh fruit and the other containing prunes which are dried plums. The fruit looked so delicious that the king's mouth filled with saliva. He picked up one of the fruits and examined it carefully.
“My royal scientists must examine this fruit and report back with their findings,” declared the king.
After carrying out their lengthy analysis, the scientists gave their verdict.
“Your Majesty, after a thorough examination of this fruit, we have discovered that PLUM contains a large number of vitamins. What surprised us most was that it contains vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin, which helps maintain a healthy nervous system. PLUM contains more of this vitamin than any other fruit we have seen.”
“You should have some of these fruits yourself, Your Majesty,” stated the royal doctor. “PLUM also contain vitamin P, which strengthens the blood vessels and lowers the blood pressure quicker than regular medicine.”
After the scientists had given their report, the king was handed a selection of plums on a golden tray. After trying them, he made a
...
Read the whole story about PLUM
in the book
'The World of Fruits"
 TESTIMONIALS from parents & educators 
Educational project 'KIND BOOK':
TESTIMONIALS >
| PLUM contains a large number of vitamins. What surprised us most was that it contains vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin, which helps maintain a healthy nervous system. PLUM contains more of this vitamin than any other fruit we have seen. Plum also contain vitamin P, which strengthens the blood vessels and lowers the blood pressure quicker than regular medicine. |
 This was fragment from the story about BANANA from the book on Healthy Food for kids: 'The World of Fruits', part I >>
For the Book II 'The World of Vegetables' visit project Talking Veggies: Vegetables-for-kids.com
For anyone interested in their child's well-being, “The Storyteller's Guide to Health” series is sure to be of value. Following each selection of delightful stories, games and activities you'll also find recipes for the vitamin-conscious kitchen. The recipes are simple, allowing children to prepare dishes themselves with only minimal supervision, and are also designed to preserve the largest possible share of vitamins and other nutrients in the final serving.
© Maria Skrebtsova,
© Alexandra Lopatina,
Illustration s by Svetlana Jijina.
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