Are Purple-Leaf Plums Edible and Do They Taste Any Good?

Many trees and plants in your garden may be ornamental, but several could still produce some type of fruit. Although some fruit from plants and trees isn’t always ideal for consumption, you may question whether or not they’re even edible. If you have a purple-leaf plum tree, you might wonder if you can eat the plums it produces. Read on to learn if purple-leaf plums are edible and whether or not they taste any good.

Can You Eat Them?

The short answer is yes, you can eat purple-leaf plums. Many believe these plum trees are purely ornamental, as not all of them produce fruit. Additionally, these unique plums are small in size; in fact, they’re only slightly bigger than cherries. As a result, many people call them cherry plums.

What Do They Taste Like?

Even though most edible fruit tastes great all the time, there’s no guarantee when it comes to purple-leaf plums. If you find a good tree, the fruit will taste sweet and juicy with a hint of tartness. On the other hand, if you choose an unripe cherry plum, it’ll taste extremely sour, like a lemon or lime. Generally, leaving the fruit on the tree longer will increase the sweetness of the flavor profile, but it’s not always this way—many purple-leaf plum trees only produce tart or sour fruits.

How Can You Use Purple-Leaf Plums?

Although purple-leaf plums tend to be tart or sour, you can use them for other purposes rather than eating them fresh. Many people use these little plums for baking tasty muffins, pies, cakes, and more, while others use them to make jam or jelly. By pairing these plums with sweet additives, the flavor becomes incredible. Like many other fruits, you can also preserve purple-leaf plums by canning them.

Now that you know purple-leaf plums are edible, you can try some to decide for yourself whether or not they taste any good. Even if you don’t like these plums, there are many varieties available, and you can buy plum trees online to cultivate your own. Plums aren’t a common fruit choice, but they have a unique flavor profile and are great for a variety of purposes.