Bullace & Crabapples

[Icefever]

We have about 7 bullace trees in a hedge in the top field, over the weekend we went and collected a bucket of bullace.
Mrs Ice has used what she needed to make jam, so I now have a few kgs to use, wine?...bullace vodka??...use them in a thumper??

Also in the spinney, there are 3 crabapple trees, we finished up with a large bag of them....I was thinking about jelly?? wine??


Ice.

[Mash]

Not 100% sure, but bullace gin? Same recipe as sloe?

[Icefever]

Not 100% sure, but bullace gin? Same recipe as sloe?

I would go Vodka as neither Mrs Ice or I like Gin...

Ice.

[Mash]

I get that. Are your bullaces as dry and mouth puckering as sloes?

[gaza the instructor]

I thought it was Bullshit and Aceholes ??

[Easydrinker]

My Damson vodka was good a few years back.
Bullace is close enough, if ripe, nothing like Sloe in tartness.
I'd go for that, and sweeten if needed.

Robert.

[Mash]

I thought it was Bullshit and Aceholes ??

Lol. I could have had a lot of fun with that one, if I had noticed.

[myles]

I have a tree that I think is a Bullace also. Bigger than Damsons but smaller than Plums but with a good strong flavour. They make a nice jam and any that I manage to keep go into hedgerow wine.

[Easydrinker]

You have confused me now myles.
35 years ago, when living in Kent, a couple of elderly ladies showed me the bullace trees, the fruit was much smaller than my certified Damsons ever produce now.
I will concede that I am currently living 400+ miles North of Kent these days.
Climate has to matter?

Robert.

[Mash]

Oooo

I have also thought these were the small hard mean plums. Half the size of damsons and often confused with sloes....

[Icefever]

Oooo

I have also thought these were the small hard mean plums. Half the size of damsons and often confused with sloes....

I have to concur with the two members above....

Bullace...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullace

Damson....https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damson

Plums...we all know a plum...


Ice.

[myles]

OK I guess it is not a Bullace at all. Must be a small fruited wild plum.
Rounder than Damsons but sweet - not a cooking variety. Dark purple with a bloom like a Damson and yellow flesh.

[Easydrinker]

Now, I do like the fact that these closely related fruits may cross pollinate and produce somemething not recorded as a single species.
And suspect that this happens all the time.
Myles is fortunate enough to posess enough land where this may be happening.
My thoughts......

Robert.

[Mash]

OK I guess it is not a Bullace at all. Must be a small fruited wild plum.
Rounder than Damsons but sweet - not a cooking variety. Dark purple with a bloom like a Damson and yellow flesh.

I think damson is a family term, and you have a rounder sweeter cousin.

[phantom]

Meh! call them what you will.

Genus Prunus covers a veritable plethora of fruit from hawthorn upwards (just that the smaller fruit tend to have spikes )...

[gaza the instructor]

Prickly Plumbs. Crikey I bet he don't run for the School Bus.
That is makin' my eyes water just thinking about it.

[Easydrinker]

Meh! call them what you will.

Genus Prunus covers a veritable plethora of fruit from hawthorn upwards (just that the smaller fruit tend to have spikes )...

I didn't know Hawthorne were the same family.
We have those.
If the birds have left me enough, I will give it a bash.

Robert.

[phantom]

I didn't know Hawthorne were the same family.
We have those.
If the birds have left me enough, I will give it a bash.

Robert.

By all accounts, both sloes and haws make decent meads.

Both on my "To-do" list. Sweetened sloes are very "plummy" but not got round to checking Haws.

I'm guessing tannic, but..........