Yellow Mirabelles?
There is a dense thicket at the end of my patch. This year one tree has been overloaded with these yellow plum-like fruit. They are sweet, oval shaped and in all respects they are a small yellow plum. I have looked up on Google images and I think they are either a Bullace, or more probably a Mirabelle. Does anyone have an idea what they are?
Meanwhile elsewhere on the patch, I have been pruning and clearing up my soft fruit bushes. It is much easier to prune redcurrants and harvest the berries whilst sitting comfortably at a table!
Finally, this activity takes me back to my childhood...
Just for a laugh, get a sharp needle and gently trace a pattern in your tiny pumpkins or squashes. As the pumpkin grows bigger and bigger, so will your shape. My fondest memory down on the allotment with my Father when I was a small girl, was to secretly deface his marrows in this way. I remember one such occasion when I had written "Silly old Daddy!" on one of his prize marrows! Happy memories!
posted by Matron @ 7:10 PM
14 Comments:
I love the pumpkin! I'm going to have to go and do that.
Mirabelles, that meant summer, and my grandfather shaking the tree so we could gather those small yellow plums...
I love them... and I'm so glad our 'Mirabelle de Nancy' is promising a good harvest this summer!
I may have to slip out to the pumpkin patch and leave a secret message/picture on one of mine little ones! Fun idea.
The plum trees are laden this year - something to do with the longer dormancy during the colder winter, followed by a warm sunny spring.
As for ID, it's always tricky as the variation from tree to tree is subtle. There's a good ID page on the RHS site:
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0707/plumtypes.asp
BTW my hens are good at tracing patterns on tiny squash! Don't let Tikka and Korma see this!!!
Celia
You are certainly getting a lovely harvest of fruit and veg this year Matron. The yellow plums look delicious. Love the idea of a growing smiley!
Bullaces are dark little plums - a size bugger than sloes but rounder than the oval shaped damsons. Very good but quite astringent.
We get wild cherry plums here - some red and some yellow when ripe. They make an excellent 'free' jam or chutney!
Your fruit makes me want to dive into the computer, such colors! I don't think I've had Mirabelle plums, what do they taste like?
How wonderful! I'll be drawing on my squash when I'm next at the Hill.
That's assuming it EVER stops raining...
What a fab harvest of yummy fruit. I am so jealous of the redcurrants, I think we got about 12 on the whole bush this year, which was 10 more than last year, so it's great in a way. I'm in love with the pumpkin needling, I'm all for bring more art and laughter into the plot so thanks for that tip. I think you've started up a trend again.
Whoo! I meant bigger, honest!
THey have these yellow fruit in Spain and they call them Nispa's, and when I asked they told me they were yellow prunes...?
Having done quite a bit of fruit picking as a lad, in some very old and "ecletic" (read scruffy) orchards, I'd suggest the yellow fruit are Golden Gages. A less common but rather choice member of the greengage set.
They are my Dad's favourite fruit, and make terrific jam.
That pumpkin scarring idea is so great! I think I will do that on one of mine and see what happens.
bullace have spiny branches, like sloes, where as mirabelle are on plum tree branches. bullace are about the size of a marble but more oval, mirabelle are half the size of a plum. hope this helps!
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