Topic: Identification needed on wild plum

[Jeannine]

Hi, John came home with these today, sorry the colour is not good the one on the right is hard and I would guess underripe it is the colour os a green tomato the one on the left which was soft is turning slightly to a  green gold colour with a small bluss, it was sweet. I wondered if it was a mirabell but not yellow enough then thought a type of Bullace but they ripen in October.

It is the size of a large cherry and has a plum stone inside not a cherry stone.

It is in an area that could have had an orchard in many years ago and John said it was a tree.

My first thought was greengage bit they are too small.

Any ideas abyone please.

[antipodes]

It looks to me like what the French call a Reine Claude plum, they can vary in colour, I think also a  mirabelle is green before going yellow... Did it taste good?  :)

[jennym]

I'm not familiar with the words the French use for describing plums, I do know that when I go there are some lovely ones growing wild, available from now all through to autumn. I have Reine Claude Doree, a greengage, the skin has a slight bloom at the present, it is dull and dark green and not at all ripe. They don't really ripen until end August, when they turn yellowish green, are much larger and very sweet and succulent.
I have a sister who lives near Harwich, in the hedgerows there they have wild plums, all different shapes and colours ranging from yellow through to black, there is one that's green with a reddish tinge too like yours.
Sometimes plums that are growing in the wild just can't be identified, they are either very old types that aren't sold now, or maybe have grown from stones. In any case, enjoy!
PS what do you mean by bluss?

[Jeannine]

But are they usually ready in July,XX Jeannine

[galina]

This is just a guess, but it looks like some type of North American wild plum:
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/am_plum.htm

[Jeannine]

I know it is a plum but it does not turn red, I have some fully ripe ones now, they are very sweet and soft and are barely yellow. I would have said Mirabelle which I know well but it lacks the lovely yellow colour.

I am pretty sure it is  one of the Bullaces,I would have been certain it was  Shepherds Bullace actually but it is ripening 3 months ahead of time which is throwing me out.

I was curious to know if anyone knew of a similar plum to a Bullace that ripened so early in the season

XX Jeannine

[Spudbash]

It could be a myrobalan (aka cherry plum) - the earliest crop of these I ever saw was in a sheltered spot at the end of a very hot June. However, in shadier, north-facing spots they crop much, much later. Not as late as bullaces, though. (Also, bullaces have thorns.)

Consider the positioning of the tree: If you think it's within the bounds of the orchard and is a very old tree, it could be a named variety. If other plum trees are there, do they look as though they were planted in a grid or staggered grid formation? Either would back up the 'named variety' idea.

If, however, it's in a hedgerow, it could be a myrobalan planted for pollination purposes or simply a seedling from a couple of orchard and/or hedgerow plums. According a National Fruit Collections guide I once met, people visiting orchards often taste fruit and then lob their stones into the hedges surrounding them.

A further point about greengages that will be obvious to anyone who's eaten them ripe from the tree, but not to anyone who's only ever tasted British supermarket ones, they are lusciously sweet and yielding when ripe. Very wise of John to check out the local fruit in good time!

To compare named varieties of plum, visit the National Fruit Collections' website:

http://www.nationalfruitcollection.org.uk/

Jeannine, whatever the identity of your mystery fruit, enjoy the forager's/gardener's privilege of eating them truly ripe!  :)

[Jeannine]

No, it is not that one either, colour and size are wrong.Checked your link and it seems to be a Shepherds Bullace but should not be ready yet.

Most if what John brought home are not ripe, only 2 were so I am wondering if that is a fkuke, we are almost into August and allowing for the bit earkier picking we would get here I would expect a Late September one in the UK would be ready Early September here, so I think we will just keep an eye on the tree and pick when the majority are ripe.

I ate one yesterday and am still here and I have never heard of  poisonous plum so we will bw making ? Bullace Jam? shortly. It was very nice and sweet so no way am I not going to use it.

Actually we get pretty happy with a find such as this

From what John had described it is right on the edge of the cutivated common grassland on our lottie land, beyond the tree is wild, I think that might be where the old orchards might be,,well buried in years of weeds but probably still useful. There could be all kinds of treasures in there. ;D

We need  to go looking, and cross over into the wild,it is a bit like ithe movie Field of Dreams LOL and it is where the coyottes live as we hear them calling form there.  Oh well such is foraging.

I am off to go huntin' and gatherin'


Oh eck.. but they do say if you don't bother them they don't bother you :-\

[Spudbash]

Yes, the shepherd's bullace is a September plum - in the UK, at least. Another way to judge is wait until they're ripe and then stew them with a little water, but without sugar - shepherd's/white/golden bullaces will produce opaque, whitish juices, which turn clear again when you add sugar.

It's quite possible that bullace cuttings or stones were taken from Europe to Canada at some time past: When I ran my Big Little Fruit Campaign to highlight British heritage culinary fruit, I was contacted by an Australian fruit farmer who had a hedgerow of black bullace trees, heavy with fruit. He said the story was that the stock had been brought there by gold diggers! They were basking in summer heat way in excess of what England experiences (including Brogdale, which is very favoured spot).

Didn't mention coyotes, of course - sounds like you're in for a walk on the wild side!  ;D
 

[galina]

I know it is a plum but it does not turn red, I have some fully ripe ones now, they are very sweet and soft and are barely yellow. I would have said Mirabelle which I know well but it lacks the lovely yellow colour.

No not just any plum, but one of the "North American Wild Plums", prunus Americana.  Initially I also thought Myrobalan, however I don't know whether they are widespread in the USA and they are certainly not honey sweet.  Mirabelles are very sweet, but they are much more yellow, as you say, with red spots.  Myrobalans are yellow or red, but even when ripe (early September here) they stay somewhat sharp.

You said it was a plum stone, not a cherry stone.  Is it longer than wide, rather than a round stone?

Enjoy!  Whatever it is, sounds delicious.

[Jeannine]

Yes definatley a regular plum stone nothing like a cherry stoneXX Jeannine