Kriachl in distress

The Daily Telegraph seems in these post referendum days to claim the damson is English:


'Damsons are a very English fruit. Even the name, derived from Damascus, has a whiff of crusades and damsels in distress, although it is likely that the diminutive plums arrived on these shores with the Romans, not Richard the Lionheart.' (Xanthe Clay 2013)

A bush/shrub/tree very close to the house and in a bed frequented by the chickens, cats and dogs (Frisbees) has been a constant source of aggravation with it's massively long thorns since moving here in 2002. No idea what it was but it should be somewhere in a hedge outside the property. So over the years I keep hacking at it to keep it manageable but it seems to actually enjoy the experience.

Well this year I have found out what it was, even though I only noticed this week.I tried one and it wasn't too bad but out with the mobile and try googling to find out what it was.  Angie tried one too and suddenly came up with the answer "Kriachl", Bavarian for "Kriecherl" or "Kriechen-Pflaume" (Prunus domestica subsp. insititia)


Well o be honest I am not sure exactly what variety of Prunus it is. Damsons have a very difficult to follow heritage but for me the telltale signs were the totally circular form, the almost complete lack of a rib on the outer edge and the fact that the flesh doesn't easily part from the seed.

Collected just over a kilo and it is now bottled up and ready for for the first jam tasting in a few weeks.