Sloes - other uses?

[slowworm]

I've got a few trees with a fairly good harvest of sloes this year. Now I'm not keen on sloe gin, not sure about other sloe based spirits, so I'm wondering if there's much else they can be used for?

I'll add them to a mixed berry wine (blackberries, elderberries & sloes) but these might be a bit to sour for a pure wine.

Another question, if we get a good sunny autumn how ripe will sloes go? I know people seem to pick them too early if others are after them but my trees are quite remote so the fruits should last. I did once find a tree where the sloes were almost edible but I think that's more down to genetic variation than being very ripe.

 

[xylaria]

Sloes can hybridise with damson and produce an ediblish fruit. They work mixed with blackberry or apple which can be too sweet on their own. A sharp cranberry type jelly can be made from them. It goes well with lamb and duck. Follow a recipe for damson cheese but add apple and maybe more sugar.

 

[Man of Tanith]

if you warm the sloes by a fire they become more palatable.

sloe spiced rum is a cracking beverage. and you can cover the booze soaked sloes in chocolate once the bottles been emptied.

as for the wood its nice for walking sticks and is good for fire wood (I get a certain satisfaction burning not it after the repeated stabbings I have recieved from it my permission is predominantly blackthorn)

 

[Clouston98]

This rescipe looks nice:

http://www.farminmypocket.co.uk/growing/wild-food/sloe-jelly-recipe-a-taste-of-the-wild

We just like the gin ...though I reckon we'll give this a whirl this year.

 

[Harvestman]

Sloe jam is absolutely amazing on toast, especially if you don't make it too sweet.

 

[British Red]

I think I'll have a stab at some jelly with all our bullaces - I'm bored with bullace spirits tbh

 

[slowworm]

I like the idea of sloe jelly. We have tried it before though and it was too astringent to eat. Not too sharp but the drying taste of sloes - can anything be done to reduce this? Will using a jelly bag, for example, get the flavour out but not the astringentness (if that's a word?).

 

[British Red]

Most of that mouth puckering stuff is in the skins and stones so maybe? Never made it (yet) so can't be sure

 

[bearbait]

...sloe spiced rum is a cracking beverage...

White or dark rum? (Just made 3L Damson Gin and have a underemployed demi-john!) Be a month or more before the sloes will be ready to harvest, I imagine.

 

[xylaria]

Never bothered with a jam bag, I just rammed it through a sieve with a spoon. I didnt aim to make a pretty looking jar of stuff just plenty of flavour and no skins and stones. I dont add too much sugar to jam I just pot it with the pressure cooker. It has been a few years since there was a good enough plum year to make sloe sauce. It was solid last time I did it.

 

[British Red]

This rescipe looks nice:

http://www.farminmypocket.co.uk/growing/wild-food/sloe-jelly-recipe-a-taste-of-the-wild

We just like the gin ...though I reckon we'll give this a whirl this year.

This had better be good Cameron - or I'm coming for you!

I had to prune a blackthorn today...and I stripped 4kg of sloes off it.

I have also been inundated with other peoples excess apples so chopped in 8kg of apples as per the recipe.

My largest steel pan is 25 litres (I have bigger alu ones but they stain).

Its full - and I do mean full

I've stewed all that lot and four lemons to a pulp. Have to run it through my jelly bag now - wonder how many days that will take??

Ahh well - if its good - we'll have a result!

 

[Quixoticgeek]

Down here in Kent, the Sloes aren't just ripe, in some places they are over ripe. Went picking on Friday over near Sandwich, and found that on some tree's, on one side they were under ripe, further round they were perfect, and then on the other side over ripe. Just depended a bit on their sun exposure. I managed to get 1.7kg, which was more than the 0.8kg I had intended.

I had to go all the way to Sandwich to find sloes, as it seem some oik has picked clean every Sloe tree within walking distance of Canterbury. Every tree, to just above head height. Not just this year, but last year too.

Also picked 600g of Damsons, and the same of Blackberries. The Blackberries are in some vodka, the sloes are going in gin. Not sure yet what to do with the damsons tho.

J

 

[Kerne]

Picked my sloes last week and made gin - never seen them so ripe so early.

 

[British Red]

You aren't kidding Kerne - I got at least ten pounds in a few miniutes

Picked SLoes by British Red, on Flickr

 

[Globetrotter.uk]

Whilst in Edinburgh last week I tried whisky with honey and sloes.

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk HD

 

[kevin1]

Hi try sloe cider if you don't like gin. Make it the same way just use cider!

 

[British Red]

I like the idea of sloe jelly. We have tried it before though and it was too astringent to eat. Not too sharp but the drying taste of sloes - can anything be done to reduce this? Will using a jelly bag, for example, get the flavour out but not the astringentness (if that's a word?).

I used pretty much the recipe Cameron posted (a few tweaks) - its magnificent, not astringent but pleasantly sharp - like a cranberry or redcurrant jelly


Very much a hit here.

Happy to do a pictorial recipe if anyone wants one?

Finished jelly by British Red, on Flickr

 

[bobnewboy]

Yes please.....

 

[Clouston98]

I used pretty much the recipe Cameron posted (a few tweaks) - its magnificent, not astringent but pleasantly sharp - like a cranberry or redcurrant jelly


Very much a hit here.

Happy to do a pictorial recipe if anyone wants one?

Finished jelly by British Red, on Flickr

Just finished some with bullace and sloes, cooking apples used from our garden all picked by me. It's fantastic! Ours we made more jam like but clear and smooth. It's so delicious - sweet but has a lovely sharpness to it. Couldn't be more pleased really. Needed help from my mam with bits so a pictorial would be great to aid my jam knowledge .