Can anyone identify this tree for me?

[Newbarnsleygirl]

In my garden I have a tree which is growing atm, large Grape size green things!

My first thoughts were Olives but when you get up close they're not the right colour.

Obviously I don't want to eat them to find out but am desperate to know.

Could they be damsons?

Figs?
Plums?

How big is the tree? What do the leaves look like? What shape are the fruits? Were there any flowers on the tree that you noticed?

Is there anything distinctive about the leaves?

Plums? Figs? Quince? medlar?

Take one along to your nearest garden centre (with a leaf) and try and match it up. Perhaps one of your neighbours would know (we found ours most helpful years ago when we had a lovely large garden to look after).

No flowers, the leaves are similar to that on a rose bush and like I said these things are the size of large grapes so more oblong than round and they are a deep green colour.

The tree isn't huge, probably 8ft tall atm.

I don't think they could be figs, MIL said they could be Green gauge plums (sp)

Any type of plum will be green to start with, the colour only comes when they ripen.

this is what you need

tree flowchart

FSC does loads of these - we adore them

So it could be a plum then.

If it is when will they be ready to pick or should I leave them to fall off?

Thanks Binkie.

Will get that I think.

You'll know when they're ripe, depends on what type it as as to when they ripen but it won't be for a few weeks yet. If it's something like a Victoria plum, you'll know by the depth of colour when it's ripe. If you wait until they fall off, they'll be over-ripe and will spoil as they fall.

It might just be a case of try one and see!

I would have thought that when you squeeze it, a ripe plum will give slightly. Firm but not hard

I waited ages for my plums to ripen only to realise too late that they were yellow plums, not the purple victoria ones I was used to.

Depending on the variety, they could be ripe anywhere between late July and early September, so there could be a way to go yet.

Great, thanks very much.

I might make Jam with it

Plums tend to be rather popular with late summer/early autumn wasps, unfortunately but make excellent jam

I'll start picking end of July then.

How do you make jam anyway?

Badly in my case. FAR too sharp

Give us your method anyway soupy

I'll dig out my "how to make Jam" book later. Basically involves boiling up the cut up fruit with jame making sugar (has pectin added) and maybe some water... can't remember! Blackberry and Apple is my personal favourite though.

We have raspberrys growing as well but they didn't grow very well last year so I might have to give them a miss.

Is pectin a preservative? I thought about making a few batches of it.

Pectin is the stuff that makes jams set. Some fruits have naturally high concentrations of it, some need more adding to the jam.

Right then.

So how long can you keep it for once it's made?

It should keep for ages if you make sure everything is thoroughly clean - Clean jars and lids in dishwasher if you have one and fill them while still hot (they're less likely to break that way too).

Great, thanks.

I just need soupy back with her Jam recipe

Eeek!

Lakeland do very nice jam jars by the way

Plum & Apple

4lb/1.8kg fruit - split equally plum/apple or whatever. Use cooking apples, peeled cored & chopped and stoned plums and weigh them after this.
4lb/1.8kg sugar
1 pint 600ml water

Basically, shove it all in a big heavy pan, cook till the sugar has dissolved and then boil rapidly to setting. Put your jam jars on a tray in the oven to get them hot.

To check for the right set, I chill some plates befor ehand and drop a teaspoonful of the cooking jam onto the plate, leave for about 30seconds and push with a fingernail. If it is stiff and crinkles, it's ready.

Skim the scum off - put a knob of butter in as this can disperse some of it. Scrape to the side and scoop out with a perforated spoon.

Fill jars almost to the rim, put a waxed disc on top and screw on the lid (or use the cellophane lids that come in little packets from...er... shops. If you're using screw on lids, you can forgo the little wax disc.