Can I eat these plums?!

[turquoiseseaside]

Wish I knew more about plants. I am struggling in my new garden. Moved in a year ago and seeing all sort of strange things. Even found a wonderful wasps nest in a tree stump yesterday can you tell I've moved from a town to the countryside and haven't got a clue much to my shame.

Does anyone know if I can eat these plums? If anyone answers I may have to venture around and ask some more fruity questions as I do have some other trees with something growing on them Thanks

Yes.

Why wouldn’t you be able to eat plums?

You can roast them with some cinnamon and sugar if they are too sour to eat.,

Yes they are delicious! Sometimes worth cutting them open before eating as very occasionally they have a little green worm by the stone

That looks like a Victoria to me, and if so you can eat it without cooking.
See what others think.

Thanks so much. I wasn't even sure it was a plum ha!

Time for some plum recipes then.
I think we have apples too but not sure if edible .

@Turniptracker oh yes I can see some holes in some.

@turquoiseseaside

Thanks so much. I wasn't even sure it was a plum ha!

Time for some plum recipes then.
I think we have apples too but not sure if edible .

I thought it looked like a nectarine! (spot the city dwellers....)

The apples should be ok to eat as well, unless they are bitter.

Try one and use the rest to make a crumble with the plums

@Frazzledd yes. It's actually embarrassing. I actually had no garden growing up in a flat. Now have 2 acres. I'm very excited but also rather scared.

[quote turquoiseseaside]@Frazzledd yes. It's actually embarrassing. I actually had no garden growing up in a flat. Now have 2 acres. I'm very excited but also rather scared.[/quote]
Ahh that's not embarrassing, it's definitely exciting! (I'd be on here daily asking 'wtf is THIS!!!??)
Still stuck in the city here but long to be like you, 2 acres! Not even a window box here, but we'll get there (hopefully!) Good for you!!

It's good fun. I recommend it. I don't think I'll ever go back. Haven't been to London since March 2020 and don't miss it!
Love everything. The air, the space, the views.

Wasps nest in a tree stump wasn't sooo interesting though. Wasp man is coming tomorrow. I didn't fancy tackling that alone 🐝

Why didn’t you just leave the wasp nest alone? Wasps do a lot of good one the garden

We inherited a plum tree when we first moved in here. We only get plums every second year. Love them though. Other than a bit of cutting back they take care of themselves.

It does look like a Victoria plum to me. We had a tree at the bottom of the garden when I was little. Some years we had loads and other years not so many.

Google how to prune your tree properly.

Try it and see if it tastes sweet enough. It might need to get a bit darker but just taste it and see. If it's still sour leave it another month or so.

They start falling off the tree when ripe.

They'll be nice in a crumble, try a plum tartin - cut plums in half sprinkle on sugar bake for 20 mins then put puff pastry on the top to cover and bake another 20-30 mins. If you get loads then make jam.

Yes that’s a Victoria - lucky you, they are the best of all! If you have some sunny weather they’ll be ready before you know it - I’d be checking them every day. They will be gently, squeezably soft when they’re ready.

Be warned though, wasps LOVE plums. Last year we lost our entire crop, two trees) of Victoria plums to wasps when we went away for the weekend. If you have some you might want to Chuck over some netting? They nibble out little holes working from the outside in so that might be what you’re already seeing.

@MereDintofPandiculation

Why didn’t you just leave the wasp nest alone? Wasps do a lot of good one the garden

Well... they do good earlier in the year when they eat a lot of insect pests, but come harvest time all they want is sugar, which is when they become a real aggressive nuisance.

@MereDintofPandiculation I have young dc and I knew there was a wasps nest but couldn't find it. There have been a lot of wasps coming into the house which is why I asked the wasp man to come.
Admittedly I don't like killing anything though and agree each thing has its purpose.

Can I eat these? They're not ready yet but I'm not sure if they're edible apples or not. Thanks

It’s difficult to tell the size from your photo OP but they are basically an apple - might be a crab apple, might be an eater. Take a bite and if it’s really sour spit it out - it’s the only way to tell and it won’t hurt you! Apples aren’t quite ready for picking yet here (Somerset, apple orchards everywhere).

Thanks @Daisydoesnt I will wait until a bit later in the year I think to test it

Well... they do good earlier in the year when they eat a lot of insect pests, but come harvest time all they want is sugar, which is when they become a real aggressive nuisance. I wouldn't say aggressive, more intrusive. If you allowed them to get to the sugar they wouldn't go all out to attack you. It's when you try to defend your picnic that the trouble starts

Mirabel de Nancy are the best plums. What's the flavour like?

Your apples don't look like cookers, they look life eaters! But it's a bit early yet. You just gotta try one!

How lovely to have orchard fruits! Are there any other productive plants or trees do you think?

This is what OrangePippin says " Mirabelle de Nancy is perhaps the definitive mirabelle variety. Commercial production centres on Lorraine in north eastern France, between the cities of Metz and Nancy. The small round yellow fruits can be eaten fresh when fully ripe but are primarily grown for use in baking, jams, and plum brandy."

... which sounds to me that they are sweet, but possibly lacking in the "plum" flavour that one associates with a "plum" variety like Victoria as opposed to a Mirabelle, but happy to be corrected. Do you have a pollinator for it?