are there any sloes about this year?

oliveoyl

I found some today... not loads, the bushes were pretty sparse. How may do you need to make a litre bottle of sloe gin?

oldMcDonald wrote: »

The nuts don't seem to have done so well, either. The sweet chestnuts don't look very fat (I haven't picked them yet), and the walnut trees don't appear to have any nuts on them.

Where abouts do these grow... in proper woods, or just dotted about anywhere? I'd love to find some of either of them... I do look, but so far no joy.

Debt_Free_Chick

Plenty here in Sussex.

Walked the dogs with a neighbour last Saturday and she commented on the lack of sloes ..... until I pointed them out!

As in previous year's I'm ignoring the "wait for the first frost" advice and grabbing them while I can - I've missed out in previous years!

quiet_advisor

None on the Norfolk coast. I have just been on a two hour bike ride round the usually prolific areas, but zilch. Same with the wild damsons that are normally to be found.

Plenty of blackberries, however, so may research alternatives to sloe vodka!

Debt_Free_Chick

On Farming Today (R4) this morning I think ... if not, in the past few days.... A farmer said it's a terrible year for soft fruit (rasperries, strawbs etc) which have been damaged by the rain. But fruit with thicker skins e.g. plums have faired better. Sloes ought to fall into this category.

Certainly, the blackberries here have been awful. Plenty of them, but they taste mouldy - eugh!

oldMcDonald

oliveoyl wrote: »

Where abouts do these grow... in proper woods, or just dotted about anywhere? I'd love to find some of either of them... I do look, but so far no joy.

Hi oliveoyl

The sweet chestnuts are dotted about, there seem to be loads of them around here (south coast ), I remember reading once that the further north you go, the less sweet chestnuts you find (don't know if thats correct?).

The walnuts have been planted by someone in the past. They are all along a boundry of a waste land, so at some point in time something must have been there! No one seems to recognise them when they have the green fruit round them, so they get ignored!

greenbee

quiet_advisor wrote: »

Plenty of blackberries, however, so may research alternatives to sloe vodka!

Blackberry whisky is definitely NOT worth the effort!

oliveoyl

The sweet chestnuts are dotted about, there seem to be loads of them around here (south coast ), I remember reading once that the further north you go, the less sweet chestnuts you find (don't know if thats correct?).

The walnuts have been planted by someone in the past. They are all along a boundry of a waste land, so at some point in time something must have been there! No one seems to recognise them when they have the green fruit round them, so they get ignored!

I'm quite north so perhaps I won't be finding any then, no matter how hard I look.

Blackberry whisky is definitely NOT worth the effort!

I made some spiced elderberry + bramble vodka last week... I think I put too many cloves in... it blows your head off!

oldMcDonald

oliveoyl wrote: »

I made some spiced elderberry + bramble vodka last week... I think I put too many cloves in... it blows your head off!

....and you think you can get away with saying that and then not giving a recipe - however vague that recipe may be! Tsk!

Recipe, please, oliveoyl!

Pink.

greenbee wrote: »

Blackberry whisky is definitely NOT worth the effort!

Have you left it for long enough? I made plum vodka, plum gin, sloe gin and blackberry vodka last year (late September) hoping to use them for Christmas gifts. I tasted them just before Christmas and they were vile (just tasted bitter with a strong taste of alcohol) so I wasn't going to give them to other people.

I bunged in a bit more sugar (couple of tablespoons) and left them and had another taste at Easter and they were lovely, sweet and smooth and once strained were a lovely clear colour.

The recipe I used is half a pound of sugar to one pound of fruit and a (70cl)bottle of spirit...supermarket own brand is probably best for this purpose as it's much cheaper. Up end the bottle every day until the sugar disolves then leave in a cool dark place for at least four months. Strain and decant into bottles.

Sloe bushes are a bit thin on the ground here but I found a bush that had loads last year....going to go for a walk there today to see if there are any around.

Pink

Gigervamp

I had a look today when I walked my dog and there were no sloes on any of the bushes.