Plum wine

[BrewBoy]

While out on a search for decent cherries for a cherry wine I found lots of fruit trees that look like small plums. Some of the fruits are red, yellow flesh, quite round, small oval leaves and a bit larger than a cherry. Others are yellow, small oval leaves, oval fruit and slightly larger than the red ones. I believe these to be small to be small plums, can anyone confirm what they are? I have eaten 3 of these things and I’m not dead which is a good sign. I know you shouldn’t eat things that you can’t identify but there aren’t many fruits out there that are this size and poisonous.

If they are small plums then I’ve found enough to make about 200 litres of wine. I might make 2 gallons of wine, any ideas of what to do with the other 3000 fruits?

 

[Moley]

Cherry plums or Bullace?

Photos would help.

 

[BrewBoy]

Cherry plums or Bullace?

Photos would help.

I'll do photos when I get home, if I can work out how to do it.

 

[user 1290]

If they are around the size of grapes, about 40 - 50 to the pound and look like this:

or this (some of the biggest ones)

growing on bushes like this

Then they are (very early) cherry plums. The reason I seperate them by colour is that the yellow ones are turned into a golden plum wine, the dark red ones for red plum wine and everything in between for eating/jam/chutney. Picked 218lbs one year.

 

[BrewBoy]

If they are around the size of grapes, about 40 - 50 to the pound and look like this:

or this (some of the biggest ones)

growing on bushes like this

Then they are (very early) cherry plums. The reason I seperate them by colour is that the yellow ones are turned into a golden plum wine, the dark red ones for red plum wine and everything in between for eating/jam/chutney. Picked 218lbs one year.

Yep, there the badgers. these were taken today from a new patch I found today.

These ones are a bit different, very green, round and small.

Watch in pic for scale

Looks like I have lots of wine making to do!

 

[alanbamber123]

My gran has a tree full of Green plums which tasted great 2 yrs ago (it fruits every 2 years)

Cant wait till they ripen this year. Going to make some nice plum wine my self.

 

[Titch]

thanks for those pictures

i saw something like this on a walk down by the canal last weekend

wife said not sure so dont pick

think ill get a picture and see if it matches

 

[Damsonite]

Bugger. And these are growing wild? Don't see anything like that in this neck of the woods. Plenty of damsons and sloes later on but nothing like this. I'm kinda seething with jealousy!

 

[user 1290]

Not sure if they look quite ripe in those pics of them on the bushes. If picked too early they'll produce really acidic wine when the sugar's fermented out. I wait until they're soft, sweet and will fall off if the bush is shaken - literally 'raining plums'. A good sign is when they're starting to fall onto the ground. Even then I'll use a Gervin D yeast to reduce the Malic acid content.

Looking good though, must take a walk to the local cherry plum hedge today. I use some telescopic (golf ball retreiver) devices and poles that screw together with some chimney brush fittings that have a hooks on the end to both pull the branches down within reach, or to shake those too high for that, and a folding 'grabber' which can be used by itself on in conjunction with a 'puller' so I also get all the ones nobody else can get to, so I'm not tempted to pick them prematurely due to worying about others getting them first.

 

[BrewBoy]

Some of the red and yellow ones are quite ripe but not sure what the green ones are doing. I have to wait a few weeks anyway as I need my FV to become available, its currently got cherries fizzing away in it. I have found 4 large stashes of these bushes so have plenty for wine making. I’ll probably try to make a red and a white and maybe a plum vodka. :drink:

 

[Simon2822]

I picked these today:

From a tree like this:

I assume these are also cherry plums (they definately taste a cross between damsons and cherries)

I would guess at 3 lbs fruit plus sugar for a gallon of wine

There are also a few trees with the yellow fruits on like the ones in Davids post so I'll be out to pick more of both soon

Simon

 

[user 1290]

Simon, those plums don't look ripe enough to use for winemaking, as I'm sure they'll be too acidic.

 

[Simon2822]

Simon, those plums don't look ripe enough to use for winemaking, as I'm sure they'll be too acidic.

They actually taste quite sweet. No sharpness to them at all. I was quite surprised given the colour

 

[Moley]

I would guess at 3 lbs fruit plus sugar for a gallon of wine

I'd have said 4 lbs to the gallon.

Wash, split and de-stone the plums, add about 6 pints of cold water, add 1 crushed CT and 1 tsp pectolase. Stir well, cover the bucket.

After 24 hours add yeast & nutrient.

Wash your hands and lower arm well with a germ killer or spray with Videne solution if you've got it, paying particular attention to the nails.

Get your hand into the bucket and squish the fruits through your fingers.

Cover the bucket, stir at least twice a day for about 4 days

Strain the liquor onto around 1kg of sugar and stir until dissolved, transfer to DJ under airlock. Don't fill the jar just yet.