jam recipes/fruit substitute

[Annpan]

Is it a medlar???? I'll go and google it to see....

[Millymollymandy]

No, but you've probably learnt that by now. They don't ripen until after they've been bletted by the frosts, and have several stones inside, plus they are brown and don't resemble any other fruit - and they are a marmite fruit - you love them or you hate them!

[Millymollymandy]

Possibly Mirabelles - I have loads of trees but they've only ever once produced TWO fruit though I can't remember what month it was in.

Anyway my neighbour says she's been given a load of plums and would we like some - so will find out tomorrow because all the regular plums round here aren't ripe until September!

I have the seep hose on my fruit trees because my peaches haven't grown in a month and my plums will drop off unless they are irrigated, they are already losing all their leaves and are usually bare by late August. Trouble is they drop all over my veg patch which is a nuisance.

[snapdragon]

Possibly Mirabelles - I have loads of trees but they've only ever once produced TWO fruit though I can't remember what month it was in.
...............
I have the seep hose on my fruit trees because my peaches haven't grown in a month and my plums will drop off unless they are irrigated, .............

Ah yes that was the M word - come in red and yellow

aww MMM - I've been telling the rain to go water your plot but it's not listening - all three water butts overflowing here - I've taken to emptying bucketloads down the soakaway

[Millymollymandy]

Thanks Snapdragon - our forecast keeps saying rain but all we get is a bit of drizzle. I spent 3 hours last night with the hosepipe watering just two flower beds. Just watering the surface doesn't help any - I have to water, turn soil over to expose dust, water again and then get in with my trowel and make big holes everywhere and keep filling up again and again and again with the hose pipe until I've at least soaked the top 4-6 inches. It takes forever but is the only way to get any moisture down into soil that's probably dry all the way down to the bedrock.

Anyway I have my plums from my neighbour - the are round dark red plums which she said weren't any good for eating but good for clafouti or preserves. We've just tried some and they are lovely for eating! No idea what variety and neither did she.

I took her two cucumbers but she has never bought or done anything with cucumber before and asked me how to prepare it!!!!!!!! It really is true that the French only eat haricot vert and very few other veg. Quite incredible really. * shakes head in disbelief*