Can you eat wild plums UK?

Wild plums are common in the UK and as all members of the plum family are edible, they are a great fruit for new or nervous foragers to gather and eat!

Where are wild plums found in the UK?

The plum generally produces white blossom which is sweet smelling. The fruits on the wild varieties are always smaller and sour, when compared to cultivated varieties. Best places to find : Fairly common throughout British woodlands and hedgerows.

How do you know when a wild plum is ripe?

Touch. A ripe plum is still firm, but not hard. The flesh and skin yield slightly under your fingers when you squeeze it gently. An unripe plum may have turned red, but until it softens, it is not ready to pick.

Are all plums safe to eat?

Plums are extremely nutritious, with a variety of health benefits to offer. They contain many vitamins and minerals, in addition to fiber and antioxidants that may help reduce your risk of several chronic diseases. You can consume plums fresh or dried.

What does a wild plum taste like?

Unlike other high-volume harvests like wild apples, their flavor of wild plums is dependable and you know what you’re getting: no danger of mealy textures here, just pure, tart-sweet plum flavor that you can do all kinds of things with.

Do wild plums have thorns?

If you want a plum tree (Prunus spp.) for a garden of native plants, you’ll have to put up with prickles, as wild plums have thorny branches — including the one you’ll most likely encounter, the American wild plum (Prunus americana).

Where do wild plums grow?

It can be found occurring in woodlands, pastures and thickets ranging from Florida to Arizona and New Mexico, north to Massachusetts, New York, Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Manitoba, Wyoming and Utah. Wild plum grows in prairies, woodlands, pastures, and along roadsides and riverbanks.

What do wild plums taste like?

The taste of wild grown plum fruit ranges from tart to sweet but not bitter. They’ll make you pucker initially because the skin of that plum is particularly tart while the meat or flesh of the plum runs sweet. Some say the taste of the American plum is sort of like a cross between a cherry and a plum.

Can you eat plums from a plum tree?

Once your little plums ripen, in midsummer, they’ll be edible, though probably fairly sour, depending on the particular cultivar you have. It’s good that your tree is loaded, because you’ll be in competition with the local birds, which also like them.