Plum, damson or bullace?

[Moggle]

Hi

Does anyone recognise this plum-type thing. I spotted it this afternoon while collecting blackberries on my way home from work.

Sorry for the blurriness!


Too chicken to taste, I'm worried there is a chance it is poisonous.

The fruits are about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. Fruit on the left is soft and ripe, fruit in the middle is still firm. On the right is what I think is a sloe (can anyone confirm from my blurry pic?)

Cheers all!

[Moggle]

[Tulipa]

Moggle, I have similar plums in my garden, they grow on a tree in an old mixed hedge but I have never been able to identify what type they are.  They make wonderful plum jam and chutney though.  The one on the right looks like a sloe to me too.  Emma is the expert on those!  Hope someone else more knowledgable can help you!

T.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Have you tasted them? They're obviously plums in the broad sense, and you could certainly make jam or use them for cooking, even if they aren't sweet.

[saddad]

I would say the little one is def a sloe.. if that leaf came off the same branch as the fruit then they are undeniably in the plum family. We have a very old tree at theback of one plot which produces round fruit like that.. they are very sweet but like you don't know its name..
;D

[Moggle]

Thanks guys, I will try tasting them now. Wanted to check what they were first.

Most of the fruit are really high up on the tree and not reachable, so I think I will try a small batch of wild plum and apple jam/jelly :)

Thanks also for the confirmation of the sloes!

[Robert_Brenchley]

if you can't reach them, wait till they drop off then cook them before the wildlife polish them off or they rot. You'll have to be quick.

[Moggle]

Shouldn't be too hard, since the tree is right next to the gate in to my work :). The main 'wildlife' to worry about will be unruly 15/16 year olds that are due back in two and a half weeks!

[saddad]

Don't you just hate them... I'll be back to doing my underpaid prison warden routine...
;D

[Moggle]

Finally got the nerve to taste them, and they are definitely sour/tart so I think they must be bullaces.

I'm going to stew them up with a couple of apples to make jam/jelly