Sloe Berries

[ryaldinhio 4,107]

Found a tree....are these sloe's?

[villaman 9,979]

Looks like it

[jok 3,035]

Yes mate. Them's sloes. Either wait for the first frost or get what you need and put them in the freezer. Don't tell anyone where they are. Lol.jok.

[ryaldinhio 4,107]

What do I do with em then? Get a bottle gin, put em in it and leave for a while or is there more to it?!

[hily 379]

just made some sloe and apple jam nice and tangy

[samuria 331]

What do I do with em then? Get a bottle gin, put em in it and leave for a while or is there more to it?!

pick as many as you can...... and send them to me please

[jok 3,035]

Heathens. Lol. You need approx half a pound of sloes to each 75 cal bottle of gin and half a pound of white sugar. Prick each berry, I use an olive fork, which then can be put in with the sugar and left for a day or two. You will see the colour becoming a nice pink/purple. Give it a bit of a mix and add the gin. This then needs leaving for as long as you can and I mean possibly 3/4 months. That's not good for this years Xmas drink but it really does make this drink a lot better and smoother. (I have 4 year old untouched which still has a lovely colour). Incidentally, I also have vodka, damson, black cherry, strawberry, gooseberry, sloe and rhubarb. Gin works equally well with all the above. Because you prick the berries means that there is very little sludge when it comes to decanting. This, unfortunately , can't be said for strawberries and rhubarb which take a lot more work in terms of straining and bottling. On a cold morning, ferreting, stalking or just out walking, a hip flask of this is a must. Have fun. Jok.

[neil cooney 10,415]

Plenty of sloes in that pic and although fruit seems plentiful this year around here sloes seem scarce.

I often made sloe gin and to be honest it's too sweet and sticky for me, pure gin being nicer.

I've never drank vodka but would sloe vodka be less sweet ?

[mole trapper 1,646]

run into it head first if you come out unscathed it not sloes

Now that's actually funny as fook!

 

I've never understood people wasting their time individually pricking the berries when all you have to do is freeze them for a few days then thaw and bung in with the fruit.

[jok 3,035]

Well MT. Thing is. When you eventually come to drink the stuff, you remember all the shit you'd gone through collecting the damned things and the pricking and the sludge and the WAITING. Then ,when you have that first slug, you think, Ahh. How FCKG lovely is that. Worth the pain I reckon. Jok.

[DIDO.1 20,793]

Everyone has their secret method. Pricking, freezing, weighing etc

 

I just stick some sloes in some gin, tip a bit of sugar in and shake every day till sugar dissolves. It will be fine by Christmas. Try a bit and add more sugar if it needs it

[jok 3,035]

No one yet has let on about the secret ingredient. About the size of a pinhead. Makes the job. Jok.