What kind of tree is this?

[Jared]

This bad boy is on the edge of my allotment, it looks as though it's beginning to fruit, just wondering if anyone could identify what kind of tree it is and whether I will get delicious things from it.

[jampot]

its a hawrhorn , you can make a syrup from the fruit thats full of vit c (i think)

[Millymollymandy]

Looks like Hawthorn - the berries turn bright red and the birds love them!

[Jared]

looks like we have a winner with Hawthorn, I feel wiser already, although it's a shame it's not sloe, i could have whipped up some delicious gin. Hmmm, maybe I'll just have to plant some sloe. :p

[frozenthunderbolt]

Is it hawthorn? I always thought they were spikey bastards! I was going to guess Ginko Bibola - if the fruit stink then it would be ginko, but perhaps not . . . oh well much better to have haws realy

[Millymollymandy]

They do have thorns as I know from using one as a shelter from the road whilst I had a pee.

[old tree man]

Yep yep yep hawthorn

[wulf]

The fruit, which I think can be referred to as "haws", are edible. They might not be the most amazing taste sensation but they are a decent snack to nibble on. I vaguely recall a folk name for them being "bread and cheese".

Wulf

ps. This page looks interesting: http://www.whitedragon.org.uk/articles/hawthorn.htm

[Millymollymandy]

I think you can also eat the young leaves. It may be mentioned on the main SS site or was that in the Ish Bible? But check it out and don't take my word for it!

[Cloud]

I'm sure my mum used to call this a bread and butter bush, I think because the young leave are thought to taste like bread and butter. Can't say I ever found that was right, but somehow it has stuck in my mind, and every now an then I have a nibble of one in hope.

... it's a shame it's not sloe, i could have whipped up some delicious gin. Hmmm, maybe I'll just have to plant some sloe. :p

Just get out in to the countryside, there's lots of sloes out there ripening up nicely. We walked past several bushes last night looking for blackberries, and almost gave up on blackberries and collected sloes instead.