The blood plum is a stone fruit that belongs to the rose family. The sweet flesh of the plums creates a true taste experience. As with other species in this family, the seeds of the kernels are poisonous. Pay attention to the following things when consuming.
Can you eat the blood plum?
The blood plum is edible as long as it is ripe and only the sweet pulp is consumed. Unripe fruits can cause diarrhea. The seeds are poisonous and contain amygdalin, so they must be removed before consumption.
Delicious fruit for in between meals
After the flowering between April and May, the fruits follow. These ripen into small delicacies by September. When harvesting, you should make sure that you only eat the soft pulp of the cultivated and ornamental plant. Fruits that are still unripe have a negative effect on the human body. Diarrhea is often the result. This applies to adults and children.
The seeds must also be routinely removed before consumption. However, there is a catch because the cores cannot be easily separated. In this case, a manual fruit stoner can help. Raw or cooked, blood plums enrich the local fruit offering.
They are ideal for fruit cakes with sprinkles or various jam variations.
Preparation of jam
After pitting, process the wholesome and juicy fruits into jam using the tried and tested method. First it is boiled together with other ingredients. If necessary, puree the mixture additionally. Then fill it into screw-top jars and boil it down again to be on the safe side. In this way, the wholesome jam will last for a long time.
Basic recipe with preserving sugar:
- 1 kilogram of blood plums
- 0.5 kilograms of preserving sugar
- Preservatives (see description on preserving sugar)
Basic recipe without preserving sugar:
- 1 kilogram of blood plums
- 1 kilogram of sugar
Alternative: Agar-Agar
- 1 kilogram of blood plums
- 3 teaspoons of agar-agar
- 3 tablespoons of water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- possibly honey, cinnamon or vanilla sugar
Children eat poisonous seeds
The seeds of the blood plum, like almonds, contain a certain amount of amygdalin. In this sense, the same applies here: the quantity consumed creates the poison. If children have swallowed the seeds of the blood plum while playing in the garden, immediate action is recommended.
- 1. Step: drink lots of water
- 2. Step: Contact poison control center (24h) and follow the instructions
Tips & Tricks
The seeds of this plum are used to make plum stone liqueur. Undamaged cores are used for this. The substances contained in these do not penetrate to the outside.
