Damsons?

[AndyW]

Hi all

I was out foraging over the weekend and got a nice haul of Blackberrys. Then I found what I believe are Damsons.

10p coin for scale.

I'm sure they are Damsons from pics I've found on the net. Pictures of laden branches even look the same.

However, I want to check as my Mum is convinced they should be bigger and I've seen a comment somewhere suggesting they should have a "crease" in them. Like a bum

They have a single stone and taste fantastic. So sweet, very Plum like in texture.

Are they Damsons?

I hope so as I've just weighed them and found I have 7 lbs
Andy

 

[Tengu]

They are damsons, you lucky devil.

 

[morch]

Yep, look like the 6lbs we picked yesterday

Dave

 

[AndyW]

Thanks folks, fantastic news

Now for what to make... Damson Gin, Vodka, wine...

I'll have to go back for another 7 lbs now

Andy

 

[redneck]

Jam...damson has a lovely flavour

 

[gilly0802]

Gin.... i remember my dad making some years ago

he just forgot to stir it avery day, so it was a little more "potant" than intended, but stll very good

 

[durulz]

Mmm...judging by the size and the powdery surface I'd say they could be sloes. Don't suppose you have a leaf from the tree as well, do you?
Mind you, it's still a couple of weeks or so early for either damsons or sloes (but Autumn has come early this year, I suppose).
Bite one and find out. Both damsons and sloes will be bitter, but sloes will be REALLY bitter. You'd get the feeling you could swallow a damson, but you wouldn't want to swallow a sloe.
Either way, they are used in exactly the same way - sloe/damson gin/vodka. Damson jam is gorgeous. Never tried sloe jam, but I imagine you'd need a lot of sugar to overcome the bitterness.

 

[redandshane]

Yep I got to admit I thought they were sloes when I saw them I agree with your mum and the crease thing; if they are pefectly round they are sloes
Mums know about these things;mine used to make Damson Jam and Sloe gin
The bite test as suggested by durulz should prove it though a sloe will be very "dry" with not much flesh

 

[Bootstrap Bob]

Mind you, it's still a couple of weeks or so early for either damsons or sloes (but Autumn has come early this year, I suppose).

Is early October the norm for damsons???

Mrs. Bootstrap and I went and picked a load of damsons on the second August bank holiday and we now have 8.5 kilner jars full of jam to go at We go to the same place each year on the bank holiday and there they are ready to be picked.

By the way she made courgette jam this weekend too due to surplus in our veggie plot - I don't think we'll ever have to buy jam again!!!!!

 

[durulz]

Is early October the norm for damsons???...
By the way she made courgette jam this weekend too due to surplus in our veggie plot - I don't think we'll ever have to buy jam again!!!!!

No, I guess not. Damsons are a late summer fruit. I just always tend to think of them as early autumn because that's when I finally get round to picking them.
But you're right, damsons have been around for quite a while now.
Oddly enough I tend to do most hedgerow harvesting in Autumn. Don't know why that is, now I think of it. Mmm...wonder if I just prefer the taste of autumnal fruit and veg. Maybe that's it. Mind you, there's a whopping great cherry orchard just spitting distance from where I live, and that always gets plundered in summer. They're Napoleon cherries as well - much better than black cherries. Autumn always seems like the time to go foraging to me. Maybe it's a thowback to when we were little furry animals and that inbuilt instinct to hoard for winter...

Courgette jam, eh? Never heard of that before. How do you use it?

 

[fishfish]

i think youll find they are 'bullace' a wild damson and jolly good eating and jam too! if dried they make good prunes too!

 

[Bootstrap Bob]

Courgette jam, eh? Never heard of that before. How do you use it?

Errr.... I think you just spread it on your toast

It's apparently a bit like marmalade (not tried it yet) and has ginger and lemons in it too.

 

[AndyW]

i think youll find they are 'bullace' a wild damson and jolly good eating and jam too! if dried they make good prunes too!

Bullaces... just what I thought to start with. I can't find any real info on them anywhere though other than they are in the same family of fruits.

They are definitely bigger than Sloes and nowhere near as bitter.

Getting some stuff together and tomorrow night I'll be busy sorting it all out.

Never knew they were growing where they were either

Andy