What's the best time to pick damsons?

[marthe]

I remember Parasol Mushrooms from my time in England. We also enjoyed Blue Stalks and, of course, Field Mushrooms. Here in Rhode Island, we get Boletus edulis or Cep growing on the front lawn under the oak trees.

[gradus]

We used to pick Parasols but I haven't seen any for the last few years and its been so dry that little seems to be happening mushroom-wise, perhaps we'll see more when we get a little rain.

[marthe]

It's been dry here as well so mushrooms have been a bit scarce. However, we do have a bountiful crop of figs just ripening now.

[umslopogaas]

The best book for UK mushroom identification is 'Mushrooms' by Roger Phillips (Macmillan £18.99 when I bought my paperback copy). Unfortunately the current edition doesnt have a key, so you have to get the genus from the descriptions, but the plates and descriptions of the individual species are excellent. And the description of death from Death Cap poisoning is enough to put you off eating wild mushrooms for life.

[greenilex]

Marthe - I was reliably informed (by my midwestern family) that there is no native fig species in the New World....can that be right?

In any case, fig seeds must have been over there for many centuries, no?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

There is a flourishing fig tree in the garden of one of my neighbours: frosts and the wuthering winds of the Pennines don't daunt it!

I have an apple tree in my garden (a dwarf Charles Ross) - we get one fruit a year from it!

[marthe]

Marthe - I was reliably informed (by my midwestern family) that there is no native fig species in the New World....can that be right?

In any case, fig seeds must have been over there for many centuries, no?

Greenilex, I don't know whether or not figs are native to the US, but many Italian and Portuguese immigrants brought slips or cuttings of figs from their home lands. According to a recent article in the NY Times, there are many rather large fig trees growing in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens because of this. I have two Brown Turkey Figs in my garden that are now laden with delicious fruit. Cuttings from fig trees root quite easily but it's quite possible that figs seeded themselves and grew where conditions were suitable. I'll have to do a bit of research.

Ferny, enjoy those figs! What variety are they?

[marthe]

Ferny, enjoy the apples as well! Our crabapple, normally full of fruit, has been quite bare this season. No jam this year.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Ferny, enjoy those figs! What variety are they?

Sadly, not mine, but a neighbour's! I can't identify the variety - extremely hardy and, at the moment, green!

[marthe]

Ours are often still green at this time of year. This year it's been so hot and dry that our figs are nicely ripe before October. Ripe figs, a good cheese, wine...wonderful dessert!

[Dave2002]

Seems to be damson time again round here. I thought we'd missed it, but one or two of the sources along the side of our road seem to be doing well still, so now have enough for a few more bottles of damson gin. That's what we tell the Tesco checkout girls as we buy value gin in bulk.

Last year we also found a recipe for something to do with the mush once the gin has been made - a sort of solidish curd, which we found goes rather well with cracker biscuits and Manchego cheese.

[jean]

'Merryweather' has "Blue fruit, larger than other damsons."

I've got one of these - a very large fruit, so a good flesh to stone ratio.

Sadly, the crop this year was very poor. The tree itself is hard to manage, the new growth thin and spindly, flying off in all directions.

The few I harvested and stewed made me regret the absence of the rest even more.

[jean]

One of my faves is actually a green plum known as Greengage but called Reine Claude by my Belgian cousins.

I have a tree of these too, but they never turn out quite as large or as sweet they do in France or Spain (Reina Claudia. Who was she, I wonder?)

English people are suspicious of them I think because of the colour - they're green, so they can't be ripe. I've seen a woman even refuse to taste one when offered it by a greengrocer.

[Ferretfancy]

Im off to the Lakes in a week or so, and hope it won't be too late for the wonderful damsons from the Lyth Valley where they have an annual Damson Day.

Can you freeze them, or do they burst ? It would be nice to have damson tart a little later in the year.

[Dave2002]

Im off to the Lakes in a week or so, and hope it won't be too late for the wonderful damsons from the Lyth Valley where they have an annual Damson Day.

Can you freeze them, or do they burst ? It would be nice to have damson tart a little later in the year.

You can freeze them, though from your post I surmise you don't want them to burst. I've just bagged up around 2.5 kg to freeze, but with the deliberate intention that they will burst as part of our beverage making process. You may need to find some other way of preserving them if you want them to be kept whole. What happens if you make the damson tart first, then freeze that? Perhaps someone else will know. Maybe you just have to have them burst!

Not sure I dare pick any more, as there's not much room left in the freezer. Maybe we could make a pie or use them in some other way though - there are still plenty on the trees - good for a kg or two more I'd say, though I don't know whether the ones round here are good to eat. They work fine in alcohol. Have we already done damson recipes?