In article ,
says...

In article ,
David in Normandy writes:
|
| Nick - are these sloes? I've had a look at some images on Google and
| think they are. We've got several of these shrubs in the hedgerow around
| our property, laden with fruit. I'd like to have a go at a jam recipe
| but a second opinion would be good before discovering I've made woody
| nightshade jam or some such poison!
|
| http://www.avisoft.co.uk/Photos/Hpim5809a.jpg
|
| http://www.avisoft.co.uk/Photos/Hpim5810b.jpg

Yup. To check, the stone will be obviously plum-like, with a kernel
with a strong bitter almond flavour (don't eat too many) and the flesh
plum-like and greenish. The taste will screw your mouth up.

There aren't any plants I know of other than other Prunus species that
you can confuse them with, which have naturalised themselves in the UK.
Just remember to avoid the laurels, not to eat too many kernels, and
you are quite safe. The fruit structure of that section of Prunus is
very distinctive, and can be confused only with some tropical fruits.
And those leaves are exactly right.

I advise making jelly - removing sloe stones is hell. Also, use 50/50
apple and sloe juice (or even 75/25), as pure sloe jelly is too fierce
even for me. Taste the juice once you have extracted it.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.


Thanks Nick. I've just eaten a few berries and yes they are quite bitter
but with a definite plum taste / texture. Crunching a kernel I could
also definitely taste marzipan/almond. So it looks like a 100% match to
your description.

My mouth is still quite dry now, several minutes after eating them. They
are quite moorish in a strange savoury sort of way.

So it just leaves the question of whether to pick them now or let them
ripen a bit more. They seem "nearly" ripe being quite flesh but they
resist being pulled. I guess leaving them longer would probably mean the
birds eating them first.
--
David in Normandy.
(The free MicroPlanet Gravity newsreader is great for eliminating
rubbish and cross-posts)