Bullace vodka.

[JDog]

Yesterday we picked a load of bullace from my secret place. Two bushes laden with fruit were all that was needed to get as many as we wanted. They were free and picked within a mile of the house. The vodka, despite being Aldi's best was expensive. The end product will be delicious. Can't wait.

 

[sandspider]

Looks good! How do you tell bullace from plums, damsons etc.?

[figgy]

Taste and texture, bullace are like big sloes. Damsons are like small sour plums.

[sandspider]

Thanks. I've got sloes and plums, don't think I have damsons, and don't know what a bullace would taste like. Mouth dryingly sour then?

[Walker570]

I have three trees reputedly bullace and the fruit is green.  Do the stones break cleanly free from those as Victorias do.  My bullace are about5/8th to 3/4 inch in diameter and the only way to see if they are ripe is to shake the branch, those that fall off are like honey and make the most fantastic vodka upgrade.

[Jacko3275]

4 hours ago, JDog said:

Yesterday we picked a load of bullace from my secret place. Two bushes laden with fruit were all that was needed to get as many as we wanted. They were free and picked within a mile of the house. The vodka, despite being Aldi's best was expensive. The end product will be delicious. Can't wait.

 

Does it taste similar to sloe gin ... are they hard to come by 

[JDog]

Bullace vodka is better than sloe gin in my opinion.

As for whether they are hard to come by, I never saw a single tree until I moved to these Wolds. Now I know of half a dozen.

[Walker570]

Done a bit of research and found there are some green/yellow versions,  looks like mine are Shepherds Bullace.  I have seven or eight young seedling trees which appeared very close to the bullace and I transplanted them and they did have some flower this year but no fruit. It will be interesting next year to see if they produce because the Shepherds Bullace are very close to a damazene tree and a golden gauge. Wonder if I will get a cross.  The flowers where larger than sloe flowers.

I make Damazene Vodka and Gin and it is also superb. These fruit are like a large damson but the stone comes out clean unlike a true damson.

Interesting you found your bullace up on the wolds because I saw a similar tree on the side of the Fosse Way down near Cirencester but could not stop. Now that is the same ridge of limestone you have up there. I wonder if they prefer that type of soil

Edited September 24, 2019 by Walker570

[JDog]

I suspect that there are many more Bullace trees about in the countryside but people are just not noticing them or at least failing to identify them properly. The following two photos show a Bullace hedge looking just like any other overgrown hedge, and some fruits on the tree.

 

[TIGHTCHOKE]

I am sure you are correct, look what they are missing though!

[Walker570]

I have one small tree in my wood which produces large damsons....so I thought...but now believe it may be a bullace. Looks the same as your pictures.  I have only ever used them for making Damson Gin but after two glasses couldn't tell the difference ...or care

I will see if there are still any fruit on the yellow version and take a photo, see what you all think and if it is a bullace.....shepperds bullace that is.

Lots of natural food out there but had lots turned down when offered to people ..... not wrapped in plastic on a poly tray.

[John_R]

I've posted about green ("white") bullace before, I have access to one small bush which I would normally have visited by now. Even just a few handfuls of fruit can make a good compote or similar. I think I have probably missed my chance this year but I still have a jar of preserve in the fridge.

Edited September 25, 2019 by John_R

[figgy]

Round my way, we have yellow Mirabelle's like bullace sized fruits, also sweet cherry plums. The wild cherry plums are delicious eaten straight off the tree. Mirabelle's are not very nice and quite bland.

Looking at that bullace J Dog the Damson tree I picked from maybe a type of bullace. All the bullace trees or shrubs in my neck of the woods were only roughly double the size of normal Sloes.

After looking online Bullace is another word for wild plums. Not the large Sloes I thought.

Edited September 26, 2019 by figgy

[Ferret664]

So would these be best picked now for him ect? As the one mine way seem hard and very sour or would it be like sloes as put them in the freezer to help imitate the first frost ? 

Sorry new to all this 

[Walker570]

Managed to find a few still on the ground this morning, which is lucky because by now they are usually over.  Put some hazel nuts alongside to show size and you can see they break open almost clean. These did not go to waste, delicious.  We refer to them as the 'Little Green Plum'.

[Yellow Bear]

3 hours ago, Ferret664 said:

would it be like sloes as put them in the freezer to help imitate the first frost ? 

👍

[aga man]

I have been busy brewing too, what I thought was sloe gin. I always thought Bullace was another name for Sloes?. Not sure now as my secret tree looks very similar to yours JDog.

[martinj]

On ‎25‎/‎09‎/‎2019 at 22:15, John_R said:

I've posted about green ("white") bullace before, I have access to one small bush which I would normally have visited by now. Even just a few handfuls of fruit can make a good compote or similar. I think I have probably missed my chance this year but I still have a jar of preserve in the fridge.

I would still expect to find white bullaces now, they can still be found after first frosts

[John_R]

4 hours ago, martinj said:

I would still expect to find white bullaces now, they can still be found after first frosts

I'll take a look next time I get there.  The bush is small and gets cut along with the rest of the hedgerow, and that will have been done by now. Worth a look 👍