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Comment on Sloe Down

lugal@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago

Was the hybridization part of the domestication or was it more like they domesticated both and then hybridized them later?

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flora_explora@beehaw.org ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
Wikipedia says this about P. spinosa (sloe)

Uses The shrub, with its long, sharp thorns, is traditionally used in Britain and other parts of northern Europe to make a cattle-proof hedge.

The fruit is similar to a small damson or plum, suitable for preserves, but rather tart and astringent for eating fresh unless it is picked after the first few days of autumn frost. This effect can be reproduced by freezing harvested sloes.

Since the plant is hardy, and grows in a wide range of conditions, it is used as a rootstock for many other species of plum, as well as some other fruit species.

I’ve made some Schnaps out of sloes before, but there is not much more you can do with the fruits. Like Wikipedia says it, this species is rather used for its quality as a hedge and as a rootstock. So not sure if one would regard it as domesticated, but we certainly didn’t domesticate the fruits into being tasty.

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