Finally, I have discovered one is a crabapple tree, the other is a wild plum tree.
I have a few questions.
1) Are they edible?
2) If so, are they good?
3) When should I harvest them?
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Urban_Garden
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- Location: Indiana
Wild plums and crabapples.
A long the sidewalk sits two small trees that for the longest time, I have been trying to figure out what they are.
Finally, I have discovered one is a crabapple tree, the other is a wild plum tree.
I have a few questions.
1) Are they edible?
2) If so, are they good?
3) When should I harvest them?
Finally, I have discovered one is a crabapple tree, the other is a wild plum tree.
I have a few questions.
1) Are they edible?
2) If so, are they good?
3) When should I harvest them?
Crabapples are sour, so you wouldn't want to eat them out of hand, but they make great jam and jelly. You can test them for ripeness around late August, maybe September. Some people just wait until after the first frost. 
Wild plums are edible and about the size of cherries. Some are sweet and others are sour, so you'll just have to test them to see how yours taste. They also make wonderful jam.
Wild plums are edible and about the size of cherries. Some are sweet and others are sour, so you'll just have to test them to see how yours taste. They also make wonderful jam.
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Urban_Garden
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- Posts: 71
- Joined: Sun Mar 28, 2010 12:06 pm
- Location: Indiana
Yes, the ones I've seen and eaten were about 1" in diameter or a little smaller, so I thought cherries would be a good comparison. The fruit of the Pacific Wild Plum, which I have never seen except in pictures, is usually compared to cherries.Urban_Garden wrote:Cherries?
According to Wikipedia, the wild plum Prunus americana (there are a couple of other species) responds very positively to even a little care, so if the tree you speak of has, say, received plenty of water and maybe a little fertilizer, it likely would produce larger fruit than if it were growing out in the wild.The wild plums here get about the size of golf balls.
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Urban_Garden
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- Location: Indiana
We gave it plant food once, but for the most part we just left it alone.Kisal wrote:Yes, the ones I've seen and eaten were about 1" in diameter or a little smaller, so I thought cherries would be a good comparison. The fruit of the Pacific Wild Plum, which I have never seen except in pictures, is usually compared to cherries.Urban_Garden wrote:Cherries?
According to Wikipedia, the wild plum Prunus americana (there are a couple of other species) responds very positively to even a little care, so if the tree you speak of has, say, received plenty of water and maybe a little fertilizer, it likely would produce larger fruit than if it were growing out in the wild.The wild plums here get about the size of golf balls.
We also live in a river valley that is historically famous for its rich soil.
Imagine the produce on the tree if I actually took care of it!
From what I can tell there are many different types of wild plums. Mine look like a tree full of maraschino cherries when they are ripe. And we had close to 200lbs of fruit from one tree.
The type of trees around our place just finished up their season. We just picked the last plums, actually shaking them down to make sure we got them all. We left 3.
When they are fully ripe, they are good to eat on their own..although the skins can sometimes be tough/bitter. They'll ripen sitting on the counter for a few days.
Great jelly, syrup, chutney, muffins. BBQ sauce is in the works. Cobbler sounds delish!
The type of trees around our place just finished up their season. We just picked the last plums, actually shaking them down to make sure we got them all. We left 3.
When they are fully ripe, they are good to eat on their own..although the skins can sometimes be tough/bitter. They'll ripen sitting on the counter for a few days.
Great jelly, syrup, chutney, muffins. BBQ sauce is in the works. Cobbler sounds delish!