Sloe berries
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If they are tongue curling tart - yes. Should be about 1 cm across or so.
After freezing they get milder and more palatable.
Some other wild fruit in the Plum family look like that too, but are mild and sweeter.
What to do? Jelly, jam ( excellent to game, sheep, goat, reindeer) liqueur, vodka.
Jelly and jam - freeze first.
After freezing they get milder and more palatable.
Some other wild fruit in the Plum family look like that too, but are mild and sweeter.
What to do? Jelly, jam ( excellent to game, sheep, goat, reindeer) liqueur, vodka.
Jelly and jam - freeze first.
The size of the fruit compared to the leaf would suggest damson to me. Blackthorn (sloe) leaves are only up to 4.5cm long; damsons up to 8cm. Sloes are only up to 1.5cm long; damsons can be nearer 4cm (though many are smaller). If when you bite into it you could consider eating it then definitely damson; sloes are very bitter.
Why would you want to do anything other than slow gin?
Seriously though, you can make a jelly from it that goes with meats or add it to tarts with sweeter fruit. Roger Philips recommends a Sloe and Apple Cheese (a solid jelly you can eat with cold meats and/or cheese).
Damsons you just treat like plums.
Enjoy!
Why would you want to do anything other than slow gin?
Seriously though, you can make a jelly from it that goes with meats or add it to tarts with sweeter fruit. Roger Philips recommends a Sloe and Apple Cheese (a solid jelly you can eat with cold meats and/or cheese).Damsons you just treat like plums.
Enjoy!
Yup, those are damsons.
Sloes are smaller (thumb nail size) and rounder.
You can use them exactly as you would use sloes (for flavouring gin and vodka) and also to make jam with.
Sloes are smaller (thumb nail size) and rounder.
You can use them exactly as you would use sloes (for flavouring gin and vodka) and also to make jam with.
My neighbours letting me loose on there damson tree at the weekend, can't decide on gin or jam, maybe both
And/or gently stewed with just a little unrefined sugar. If you add just a very little water and stew slowly you'll end up with them in a nice thick syrup. Mmm...
The bullace is rounder - like a cannon ball.
The example in the picture is slightly elongated - like a damson.
The example in the picture is slightly elongated - like a damson.
The first damson fruit should always be made into pie/tart for me
First lot of damson gin is now on the go. Sloes are picked. And the missus has made the first lot of hedgerow jelly (crab apple, hawthorn berry, & blackberry).
First lot of damson gin is now on the go. Sloes are picked. And the missus has made the first lot of hedgerow jelly (crab apple, hawthorn berry, & blackberry).
We've got a damson and every couple of years the harvest is huge, this year is the year and we've already got about 2kg off of it and there's loads more, lovely and sweet! We went out blackberry picking yesterday but they're nearly all gone now, but we got enough for a couple of crumbles!!
Come down to Ffynonne woods Tony - up Capel Coleman end - loads of blackberries just coming ripe and many more still red
