terryd 8,955 Posted August 4, 2015 Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 Found these this morning apparently wild plums ? Loads of them red and yellow ones. Might pick some at the weekend. By the side of the dual carriageway not sure about pollution now a days. Sure I have eaten worse Quote Link to post Share on other sites
forest of dean redneck 12,023 Posted August 4, 2015 Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 There's similar down by our allotment,unfortunatly its alongside a very busy dual carriageway,so am reluctant to pick any. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
terryd 8,955 Posted August 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 (edited) yea just read this so maybe your right Don't be tempted to touch anything on a roadside, or even near a road, there are a number of really serious (and painful) conditions you could end up with. In addition, a number of these poisons are acclumative, i.e. they lie in fatty tissues and you do not really notice the effects until the toxicity reaches a certain level in the body. In some other cases, there is no cure and/or any damage done is irreversible. Just in case you were wondering:Roadside foods can contain:Lead:This is absorbed through soft fruit skins: interferes with the normal formation of red blood cells by inhibiting important enzymes, damages red blood cell membranes and interferes with cell metabolism. :- anaemia, brain damage, cancer, the effects of lead is now thought to increase with age.Benzene: is a hyro-carbon that is absorbed through leaves and bark: has a suppressive effect on bone marrow and impairs the development of red blood cells. Exposure to the chemical may result in cytopenia (total bone marrow loss).Polycyclic hydrocarbons from partially unburnt fuel (there are many of them) are absorbed by different parts of the plants and are also thought to be carcinogenic.Finally, it has only recently been shown that very small particles can have a really huge impact on materials they interact with, as an example, gold is a stable element and will not react with many other chemicals, when made as small particles however, it reacts with everything! It can be therefore devastating if it gets into the body. The point here is that injestion is the easiest way to get these particles into the body, they can then be absorbed quickly and easily through the gut, however, there is very little research or information on this at present. Edited August 4, 2015 by terryd 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
forest of dean redneck 12,023 Posted August 4, 2015 Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 Yeah, can never understand people picking blackberries by roads. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
air gun ant 1,666 Posted August 5, 2015 Report Share Posted August 5, 2015 It would never have even crossed my mind lol you probably absorb more by walking down the pavement? So what would be a "safe" distance from a road? People grow fruit and veg In the middle of city's, are you sure this isn't just scaremongering? Lol 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
courseadog 231 Posted August 5, 2015 Report Share Posted August 5, 2015 (edited) To a point ant I believe it would be scare mongering but in my opinion it probably depends on how close to the road and how old the plant is and what type it is Lead has been taken out of petrol for years now so I don't think that's a problem with new trees And remember this when you are eating any thing containing cereal will have had fertilizer used on them and all of these are by products of the hydrocarbon industry or made from them Edit to be honest I thought that they may have contamination at the road side and I leave things where they are beside the road as to black berrys or other fruits in fields containing cereal crops Edited August 5, 2015 by courseadog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rake aboot 4,936 Posted August 5, 2015 Report Share Posted August 5, 2015 Rubbish, get them eaten. I get cracking fruit from roadsides 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Zilverhaze 1,627 Posted August 5, 2015 Report Share Posted August 5, 2015 You can make a serious brandy/moonshine from plumbs just got a bottle of my pal 57% Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jamie m 668 Posted August 12, 2015 Report Share Posted August 12, 2015 Cherry plums Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Blackbriar 8,569 Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 I have a Hungarian friend who gave me a bottle of plum Palinka he made.........60+% !! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jamie m 668 Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 Eat or distill . Either or Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jamie m 668 Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 Look at this on eBay: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=301558597492&globalID=EBAY-GB Food for Free by Richard Mabey (Paperback, 2004) 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jamie m 668 Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 Supposed to be a good starter book Quote Link to post Share on other sites
J Darcy 5,871 Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 I eat piles of these each autumn.......last seasons crop was a fail though, hoping that this seasons going to be a good one....very tasty, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 377 Posted August 21, 2015 Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 I have a row of what I believe are Victoria plum trees near my house, a few people seem to know theyre there though so I sometimes get beaten to it. Also have a damson tree very close, anyone any ideas what to do with them? I made a sauce which I had on ice cream once, wasn't bad. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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