Foraging - can anyone tell me what these are?

Thistle-down

I have come across two different bushes with some kind of fruit on them, one is green and the other are more reddish. Both fruit types are small, about the size of a cherry.

Can anyone tell me what they are, and if you are able to eat them?

[Deleted User]

Both look like crab apples to me Thistledown. Even the wild ones come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours. You can't eat them as is because they are sour as hades but you can make the most delicious jelly with them (jam type jelly) that is a beautiful pale pink colour in the jars. It's so easy, just wash the tiny apples and cut them in halves cores pips and stalks intact. Pop them into a saucepan with a pint or so of water and cook them down until they are soft. Put the fruit and any juice in the pan through a jelly bag to drip (don't squeeze the fruit it will make the jelly cloudy) and leave it dripping overnight over a large bowl until it stops dripping. Then you measure the juice you have in the bowl into a saucepan and add 1lb of sugar (granulated is fine) to each pint of liquid and stir over the heat until the sugar is dissolved then bring to the boil and simmer strongly until a spoonful sets on a cold saucer. Sterilize some jars with lids and warm them in the oven and when the jelly is to setting point pour it into the jars and put the lids on. Lovely on toast, in a sponge cake and I add a good spoonful into any pork based dish that I make to give a lovely flavour to the gravy. Easy and almost free, what's not to like?

Dclutterchique

If they are both crab apples then, according to the link below, it is very rare to find two trees growing in close proximity to each other. https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/native-trees/crab-apple/

Although, according to the 'could be confused with' section of https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/common-non-native-trees/apple/ domestic and crab apples can hybridise with each other.

MrsLurcherwalker is properly in a better position than me to confirm this, but I would have though that an easy way to confirm if they are (crab)apples is to cut one open and see if it has apple like characteristics (look, smell, texture), but not necessary taste as they are so sour.

To answer the question 'can you eat them?' the answer is 'yes, because they are safe to eat' ie not poisonous, but 'no, because they taste horrible without some serious help from Messrs Tate & Lyle'.

As they are high in pectin another use for them is to add to other fruits when making jams and jellies so that they set.

Thistle-down

Thank you both! I will pick a couple and bring them home tomorrow to investigate.

Are they ready to pick now or do they need to grow more? The red ones look like baby apples but the green ones don't as much.

Thistle-down

PS is there any chance that the greener ones are quinces?

I don't think these are wild trees, they look like they have been planted and forgotten about.

[Deleted User]

Not quinces as they are pear shaped, much, much larger and not nearly so prolific. Crab apples are small so these won't grow any larger or get any sweeter. I know of places in the New Forest where there are whole swatches of woodland that are almost entirely crab apples in pretty close proximity, we take the rucksacks and go collecting every year to make our own crab apple jelly. You can't go by the colour because some varieties are green and stay green while some go red, some go yellow and we have a baby tree on the front garden that has crab apples of a most wonderful burgundy red. Pick one of each kind and cut them in half to make sure they ARE apples, crab apple construction is exactly the same inside as dessert and cooking apples, then you'll know for sure they're safe to process. Good luck!

Thistle-down

thanks again, I'll let you know what I find tomorrow! :beer:

Farway

You can tell when ready if you try and pick one, if it comes away easily they are ripe, if you pull the tree up they are not ready

Any windfalls beneath tree is another good guide

Colour is not a good guide

ancientofdays

I think they are crabbies, make lovely jelly and when you are cooking up the fruit, try adding a few cloves or a few slices of fresh ginger, gives it an extra good taste. My family likes crab apple jelly served like Apple sauce with pork dishes.

VfM4meplse

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

You can't eat them as is because they are sour as hades

Sour as Hades, I'm gonna have to work that turn of phrase into conversation before I forget it!

Fruball

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Sour as Hades, I'm gonna have to work that turn of phrase into conversation before I forget it!

I thought that! Definitely got to use that :beer:

:T:T:T