Sloes?

[telbert]

I was out last Thursday mushrooming in a local forest and found a massive patch of sloes.I've never made sloe gin before but now im thinking of giving it a go.Two questions though.I always thought they had to be picked at the end of September although these ones look ripe to me,they're about 10-15 mm in size,can i pick em now.And has anyone got an idiot proof recipe?

Cheers.
Tel

 

[knifefan]

It's traditional to collect 'em after the 1st frost, are you sure they are sloes and not wild damsons - if you bite one and it dosn't turn your taste buds inside out then its a plum !!
Easiest guide is 1lb sloes to 1lb suger in a demijohn covered with the cheapest gin/vodka you can buy. You must ***** each fruit with a fork (or you can cheat and freeze them and their skins will split) I prefer to ***** em. Once in the demijohn, cork it put it somewhere warm, for the first month, pick it up and shake the demijohn gently every couple of days - this will help the sugar to fully dissolve. Then leave as long as possible - if you can resist but the longer you can bear to leave it the better. After a couple of months in the demijohn you can sieve the contents and bottle it in the bottles you bought the gin/vodka. Even decanted, it's better the longer you can leave it!!!!

Just one observation from me "up north" it's been a very dry year up here and they are very far and few between in my area

Hope that helps a little

 

[marcusleftthesite]

I picked a huge load of Damsons today so they're ripe at the moment.

 

[telbert]

It's traditional to collect 'em after the 1st frost, are you sure they are sloes and not wild damsons - if you bite one and it dosn't turn your taste buds inside out then its a plum !!
Easiest guide is 1lb sloes to 1lb suger in a demijohn covered with the cheapest gin/vodka you can buy. You must ***** each fruit with a fork (or you can cheat and freeze them and their skins will split) I prefer to ***** em. Once in the demijohn, cork it put it somewhere warm, for the first month, pick it up and shake the demijohn gently every couple of days - this will help the sugar to fully dissolve. Then leave as long as possible - if you can resist but the longer you can bear to leave it the better. After a couple of months in the demijohn you can sieve the contents and bottle it in the bottles you bought the gin/vodka. Even decanted, it's better the longer you can leave it!!!!

Just one observation from me "up north" it's been a very dry year up here and they are very far and few between in my area

Hope that helps a little

Yeah i'm pretty sure they're sloes,i tasted some and they nearly turned my face inside out.Like the sourest crab apple ever x 1000000. Thanks for the advice

 

[The Big Lebowski]

Yup... Thats a sloe

On comparison, In not so sunny wales, they are twice the size this year! I'll be staring off a few bottles on the weekend, along with bramble vodka, rowan vodka
and I'm going to have a crack at a glayva with whiskey, heather and honey!

al.

 

[Harvestman]

You can pick them early if you like. It still works but you get a sharper, more acidic, less fruity result. Not unpleasant, and quite a nice change from some of the syrupy versions I have tasted.

Basically the later you leave the fruit, the riper it gets, so the fruitier/richer the result. Knifefan's guidelines are spot on.

 

[telbert]

You can pick them early if you like. It still works but you get a sharper, more acidic, less fruity result. Not unpleasant, and quite a nice change from some of the syrupy versions I have tasted.

Basically the later you leave the fruit, the riper it gets, so the fruitier/richer the result. Knifefan's guidelines are spot on.

The problem im faced with is do i get them now while theyre a little short on flavour or leave them for a few weeks,hoping that no one else gets them in the meantime. I think ill give it till the weekend then go and get 'em.

 

[knifefan]

That's always the problem!!!!! Why don't you take a couple of pounds now, and then get some more later in the year if no ones pinched 'em - you'd be able to do a comparison then. Normally I find roughly 2lb's of sloes + 2lb sugar will be enough for one demijohn you might be able to squeeze 1/2 lb more if pushed.

 

[rik_uk3]

After or just before first frost is traditional, bit early in the year for them yet I would think.

 

[The Big Lebowski]

This got me thinking last night...

Sloe's are a member of the plumb family, right? So surely if you pick them now, and put them somewhere dark for a week or so, they will ripen/sweeten? Just like unripe plumbs...

Collected some today, but they all went in some summer jam with apple, red plumb, brambles and cardamon.

Just a thought. al.

 

[Retired Member southey]

The local ones are getting good an ready for the picking, though couldn't resist today, so the first litre of gin is on the make

 

[Nick93]

They always look ripe early but I dont think you pick them till about October time

 

[adestu]

i made some a couple of years ago as xmas pressies for close friends,to me it tastes like cough mixture.worth making and leaving to lie for a few years.
ade

 

[Tadpole]

the sloes in my local area are so ripe now that they are rotting on the branch. Not hard to pick 7lb today as all I had to do was give the bush a little shake and pick up a couple of pounds.
I'd Get them now or miss out. the fruit season had been/is mad this year, damsons ready to pick a couple of weeks ago, blackberries season here is over and done with, my friends who grow were telling me that plums were almost over ripe three weeks ago, (plum wine, plum jam, plum preserve, Plum and apple conserve) the wild pear dropping fruit, sadly it's surrounded by ten foot high brambles, all its fruit going to waste.

 

[galopede]

My one bit of advice would be not to add all the sugar up front. You can always add some more if it's not sweet enough but you can't take it back out!

Got some blackberry whisky on at the moment. Not tried that one before.

Gareth

 

[Kepis]

The sloes round here are hanging like bunches of grapes and many of them are huge and already ripe, all being well, im off out later today to get a load

 

[dwardo]

They are weeks early up here too. The best time to pick them is just before someone else does
I just pop them in a bag and chuck them in a freezer over night, fill about a 1/3 of the bottle with sloes and pour in sugar until it fills the gaps between the sloes to about the same level as the sloes, give it a shake when filling. Then add what ever spirit. Its all down to taste so have a play and see what suits you. I tend to leave them on a partly sunny windowsill for a few weeks and give them a shake every now and then and later store in a cool dark cupboard for a few months or however long you can wait.

 

[benjy]

Silly double post on my part.

Can a Mod please delete.

 

[benjy]

All the fruit near me seems to be at least 3 or 4 weeks earlier than usual. I've been out the last 2 weekends and taken about 10lbs of sloes, 25lbs of plums / damnsins, and a load of apples and decent amount of pears.

In the past I've focused on sloe gin, but my mum and dad do plum brandy, blackberry vodka/gin and preserves of whatever they find. This year I plan to branch out a little, mostly due to finding a 4 new plum trees so having an abundance of them.

Also found out about a local community orchard in a country park 10 mins from my house, hence the apples. Me and few friends will be spending next weekend making our own apple press and will be attmepting cider.

I have a few pics and a rubbish video of yesterdays haul on my blog

 

[Brewers Whoop]

Sloe vodka, you say?

I've never got along terribly well with sloe gin. I've wanted to. I've tried. But the words 'cough medicine' always whisper themselves in my ear.

But sloe vodka. Hmm, there's a thought......