Bullace Plums!!

[hungryhousewife Profile]

Hi everyone! While walking my dog this morning, I became aware that the wild Bullace plums are in fine fettle and ready to be pillaged!!

I made some fabulous Bullace Vodka a couple of years ago, and totally forgot to collect any last year. If you haven't tried them, they are like damsons - or like very large sloes! Definately have a go!

Happy foraging!!

HH

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

I'll keep my eyes peeled, HH.

I had a glut of damson 3 or 4 years ago which made the best jam. And some fabulous pseudo hoisin plum sauce that went pretty quickly.
Bullace would work just as well

[Renée Profile]

Yes, there are plenty around here and just a few metres where where I live! I had lived here for seven years before I discovered what they were! There are white ones (actually pale yellow) and red ones.

[hungryhousewife Profile]

Gosh! I've never seen the red and white ones!
We have greengages in the garden at the mo, which are really good, and the wasps haven't been around yet!

HH

[MrsWW Profile]

Over the course of the last couple of weeks I've picked about 10kg on the South Coast - most have made Plum Jelly but a few have made some Chinese Style Plum Sauce. Both of which are absolutely delicious. Colours have ranged from yellow right through peachy/pink, orange through to almost black.

[Sakkarin Profile]

I remember last year a couple of colleagues raving about these (or I assume they were), apparently there are a lot of them growing wild near where I work, I shall have to ask for further info. Wiki seems to suggest that they are also known as Mirabelles, which is an altogether prettier sounding name than Bullace Plums (which sounds like something a vet might be called in to investigate...)!

[hungryhousewife Profile]

Aah! Interesting! I always thought Mirabelle was the Greengage? They must be closely related, so perhaps it relates to the whole genus!

HH

[BelgianEndive Profile]

Mirabelles are always yellow and they are tiny as opposed to normal plums.

HH: greengages are reines claudes, green plums.

Mirabelles have just appeared on the market here and they are still a bit young and too expensive for my jam (5€/kg). They come only from one region which is Lorraine, although SIL has a fully laden tree at her house in Normandy.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Mirabelles are a single cultivated type of plum = I remember the pants as looking rather different

Bullaces growing wild are geneticall diverse, and the size & colour of the fruit is variable

However if you have bullaces - I reckon recipes for Mirabelles would be a good starting point - both are varieties of Prunus domestica

Mirabelles


White bullace

[BelgianEndive Profile]

Hi Sue: I've never seen the white bullace, but then we don't get much of any plums growing in the wild, only those in private gardens. OH's family comes from the Lorraine so they have always had mirabelles. I make jam every year, it is a favourite! I think in about 10 to 14 days I'll be buying mirabelles for jam. I used to get whole cases from SIL, but she doesn't go to her house in Normandy anymore, so she has rented it out. No more free mirabelles.

[Joanbunting Profile]

Hi Eliza

I love mirabelle eau de vie . Haven't seen any in our market yet - I make jelly if I can lay hands on them being too lazy to remove the stones.

[BelgianEndive Profile]

Hi Eliza

I love mirabelle eau de vie . Haven't seen any in our market yet - I make jelly if I can lay hands on them being too lazy to remove the stones.

He he, we have very old bottles of eau de vie made by OH's dad in the cellar. I use it in certain desserts, but one can have a swig too!

I make a jam with the fruit halved and stoned (OH helps so it goes quickly) and I put fresh vanilla pods in it too. It is divine.

[Pampy Profile]

Interesting seeing the picture of the white bullace - I bought 2 types of plums that I've never heard of before (in Morrisons) and one looks very much like the bullace. I've chucked the packaging away and can't remember the exact names but one was something like "plumegranate" (supposed to taste like pomegranate) and the one that looked like the bullace was supposed to taste like watermelon. Have only tried the plumegranate so far and have to say it tastes nothing like a pomegranate although the flesh is a similar colour!

[Renée Profile]

I took these photos this morning. There seem to be very few of them around at the moment. I picked some of the yellow ones and put them next to the leaves. Some have fallen off the trees and there are lots more waiting to ripen.

[BelgianEndive Profile]

They look beautiful Renée! It is true the yellow ones look like mirabelles. The mirabelles are a bit rounder though, they're not oval at all. Can't wait till they get a bit riper.

[hungryhousewife Profile]

Gosh Renee - they look gorgeous!

We have Greengages in the garden and they are sooo sweet and delicious! I'm going to get some of the bullace from my walk and maybe make some jam and some gin/vodka as before!

I've never seen anything like the white ones!

Thanks for putting me straight on the Reines Claude - how lovely! I've never hear that! I shall now introduce everyone to my Reines Claudes - the thing is that it overhangs the trampoline so I have to bounce to reach the high ones!!

HH