In reply to Bottom Clinger:
They're also spinier on younger, smaller damson trees than on older ones it seems. Fascinating how they know when to grow a branch and when to keep it short and spiky.
Have you ever noticed how holly tree leaves seem to know how high they are? As you go higher up a tree they often seem to tend to a more rounded, less spiky shape which I assume is energetically favourable for them to grow.
Clever buggers, trees.
I think the damson represents the optimal point on the spectrum. If blanching them to speed up stone removal for a crumble, the resultant liquid if boiled, reduced down and endowed with a little sugar makes an amazing cordial.
Frozen, boiled Victoria plum pulp form a material almost like Pykrete that is next to impossible to melt in a pan.