Allotments 4 All

Hoping you can help.....

There is a tree to the rear of my house which is (or rather WAS) bearing a large amount of small dark plum-like fruits with a 'bloom'. My neighbour "thinks" they are damsons....but then he is no gardener. I have tentatively munched my way through one....it tasted like a slightly tart plum.  I haven't croaked it (yet), so I have assumed they ARE damsons and raided the tree. ;D

However, my elderly grandad is coming for Sunday dinner, and I will be preparing a pudding with these "damsons" so I thought I'd better check with the A4A experts to be sure that I won't poison him!

I have taken a couple of photos, one of the fruit itself (next to a £1 coin) and one of the fruit on the branches.

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee216/creckless/CIMG0399.jpg

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee216/creckless/CIMG0398.jpg

Please can someone put my mind at rest?

Not 100% sure myself but did find this site

http://www.allensfarm.co.uk/damsons.htm

which looks promising :)

Esre

Hi

they look very very similar to my damsons, i dont know the variety, but they are of the same size and colour


Hilary

make the pud lol and dont forget to save some to make damson gin!!!

Could be bullace's.

Bullace is a wild damson, the way to tell is see if there are any thorns like sloe trees, if the tree is thornless they are damsons.

Okey dokey...time to do the wellies and check for thorns!

No thorns....so recipes please! ;D

2 lb  ... sloes/damsons...
2 pints gin
8 oz sugar (or half-half sugar  ...
...  honey)

Wash the sloes and bung them into a freezer bag.  ...
...  them fast so their skins split (this replaces the  ...
...  chore of pricking each sloe with a needle or a  ...
...  thorn, which is definitely a mug's game!)

When  ...
...  remember your bag of frozen sloes, retrieve them and tip them into a  ...
...  jar. Add the gin and sugar (or sugar and honey). Close  ...
...  jar firmly and give it a good shake.

Every  ...
...  so so for the first week, give the jar a good swirl to  ...
...  the sugar dissolve. Then put it out of temptation,  ...
...  dark, for at least three months (I leave mine for a year, but I like my SG  ...
...  sloey).

After three months, taste -- if  ...
...  like, leave it to soak up a bit more  ...
...  -- if you're happy with the taste, filter it  ...
...  enjoy. The ginny sloes themselves also make a  ...
... , boozy topping for dark chocolate ice cream.

Yes - better than Sloe Gin!

Whichever, I believe that Emma then dishes up the fruit as an appetiser !!

looks like the tree near the end of our plot too!! yey!!!

They look very like Damsons to me! I hope the pudding went well. If there are some left, this is great (but make sure you save enough for gin as well ;) )

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/spiced-damson-chutney,1652,RC.html

ohhhh my favourite homemade jam............    :)