Possible foraging opportunity - any idea what these are?!

kateandpete

On my recent blackberry picking escapades I keep coming across what look like small yellow plums. Any idea what they are? I've resisted the temptation to collect them and cook them up for fear of poisoning my nearest and dearest. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.


The top one is not ripe yet but the bottom one feels as though it is.

sexymouse

They look like greengage plums to me.

kateandpete

Ooh great - thought greengages were bigger. I haven't had one since I was 7 or 8 - I suppose I was smaller so it's all relative! Thanks

eco

I once read if you want to test something you think's ok, break the skin and rub the juice on your lip, if it tingles or tastes funny you don't eat it. Wanted to ask tho was there any purply ones as I passed two trees today that had fruit a bit like that, and I picked the fruit and ate it, they were smaller than traditional plums from a supermarket tho.

sexymouse

Having done a bit of a google, it looks like it could be a yellow gage, or asian plum (shiro), but it is still edible.

kateandpete

No purple ones and some are now overripe. Think I'll collect some tomorrow. Thanks again

elisamoose

Think these are cherry plums.we have a tree of pink ones near us and my mum has made oodles of jam from them.

foxgloves

I've got a greengage tree with quite a lot of fruit on it at the moment and they don't look like these.

Gigervamp

I found a tree with those plums on the other night, as well as another one next to it with pinky red fruit. Unfortunately, it was amongst a load of brambles and even if I could get to it, the plums would have been too high to pick without a ladder. How frustrating!

The_Thrilla

I'd be looking at a (sub)species of whitebeam. These trees never seem to produce fruit with any regularity. Then, one year, for no reason at all, they are all full of fruit. This seems to be one of these years. All the whitebeams in this hick town are fruiting. I have also noticed that, whereas past varieties have all produced a reddish-orangey berry, the local authorities seem to have planted some new varieties, and the berries are all manner of colours. I have eaten whitebeam fruit in the past with absolutely no ill effects. But I would test a portion of berry first, and see what happens. Like, I've said, they have introduced new varieties, and there is no guarantee that the new colours of berry are edible. Try this website:

http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/ancient/wild-food-entry.php?term=Whitebeam

Gigervamp

I know the ones I saw were of the plum variety. Whitebeam is a family member of hawthorn and sloe if I remember correctly and I had a quick look at the photo on the page you linked to Thrilla and the fruit looks more like haws.

Still, thanks for the link because it points to another foraging possibility!