"davej" wrote ...
I was a bit late for Sacha's thread but by coincidence I tried to i.d. a
shrub in our garden, which is laden with red fruit, after a neighbour asked
for some of our plums.
It is one of several which seem to have formed the southern
boundary -running east-west. Although they look similar they have
different coloured fruit. The large tree behind the cherry plum also is
one but has hardly any fruit this year. Another has yellow fruit so I
assume a mirabelle. House about 115 years old. Pics taken into the sun
,tho' behind cloud.
http://i26.tinypic.com/2nqdvzk.jpg
http://i28.tinypic.com/1zg9n2o.jpg
http://i30.tinypic.com/aouf7d.jpg
http://i32.tinypic.com/apelue.jpg

The last pic is what the fruit usually looks like. Been here 15 yrs never
seen such a crop- don't do anything with them tho' fancy the wine! Hull ,
east yorks.
As I've said in other posts we have been making jam from them and it's
excellent. If you don't want to make it perhaps a neighbour might, just
charge them a jar of jam for the fruit.

1Kg de-stoned fruit to 1Kg sugar + 100ml water. Bring to boil and simmer
strongly for 35 mins stirring gently all the time. At the end remove from
heat stir in a small knob of butter to remove the scum and125ml of liquid
Pectin if you want a firm set.
You can also stir in 100ml of Kirsch for a more adult taste. :-)
Ladle into heated and sterilised jars, should get about 4lbs jam.

Both sorts we have found on footpaths and roadsides but can't say we have
seen them in this profusion before. The yellow ones are usually quite sweet
but we did find one tree where the fruit were more oval and bitter, so taste
and see.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
just W. of London