What is the difference between a bullace and a damson

We had found a cluster of Bullace trees; a wild plum and relative of both Sloe and Damson. The good news is that these are just as suitable for flavouring Gin as both Damson and Sloes so, after a little bit of child labour employed to collect the berries we can let infusion fun commence. I have never really understood the obsession with Sloe Gin, at least from a home liqueur creation perspective. To create the the flavour of a spirit that would otherwise be not dissimilar to Vodka.

A berry like Bullace is so tart and sour that it is inedible in all but the rarest circumstances. The process of infusing it with sugar and spirit allows its flavour to be introduced into something that can be consumed and enjoyed. We do the same thing with Coffee, Tea, Hops, Cocoa all of which are pretty darn awful in their natural state and whilst in all of these are also embellished with other flavours there is a sense in which we want the process we apply to them to result in presenting them at their best, processed but untainted.

For this reason I prefer to use Vodka to create these liqueurs rather than Gin with the intention of bringing out the flavour of the Bullace or Damsons, Sloes, Jelly Babies, Mars bars whatever. What the hell, why not leave Juniper and any of the spices mentioned above in Vodka for a while and make your own Gin. Most of the recipes for Sloe Gin or its derivatives online work with a total of a litre quantity of product and this works well if you have a separate vessel for infusion to the finished article.

Generally Damsons are more elongated than Bullaces, which are usually round and Damsons are slightly less tart. In the wild though it can be very complicated and for foraging purposes we treat them both the same and so whether you are making Damson Gin or Bullace Gin the method is identical.

STEP 3: Pour the gin over the Damsons or Bullaces , the liquid should cover the fruit with a bit to spare, if it does not, take some fruit out. None ripen at the same time so several journeys are often needed to get the best.

Down the Lane supports Practical gardening, Livestock and allotment TV programmes for amateur gardeners. Richard Cannon on Google. Find us on Social Media.. You can use purple bullaces in the same way you do sloes - I made some "Bullace Rum" once same method as Sloe Gin, but using purple bullaces and some cheap alcoholic beverage that came back from abroad. It was incredibly good and very intoxicating ;o HBlake. To be honest I suspect some of the 'sloe gin' I have made in the past is actually bullace gin!

I'm hoping to try damson gin this year, v exciting. After much searching of the internet -- thank you! I have picked some sloes and some things which I am now pretty sure are black purple bullaces, which I had been told were sloes by some and damsons by others I'm looking for recipes though I have seen some references to using purple bullaces in jam, but my experimental version was reeeeally sour too! Do you think if I make another batch with more sugar, I can still make jam??

The first taste is yummy, and then the moisture sucking hits you. Bullace and apple - yes definitely in fact you've reminded me I need to make some I've been making it for the past 2 or 3 years. I used some tart wild apples that were growing near the sloes. Simmer til they go pulpy and strain through a jelly bag.