well except for here for the second year in a row as the crop has failed.
here's what you need to do. Go out and collect as many Sloes as possible. Dont was off the yeast bloom. Cut them round the middle with a knife although tradition says do it with a thorn from the bush. Half fill a bottle/s with the sloes and pour in castor sugar. Shake the bottle so the sugar goes all the way through the pags in the Sloes. Add some more to form a mound on top of the Sloes and add your gin. Screw on the lid and set the bottle/s aside. Upturn each bottle once daily until the sugar is disolved and set them away in a cupboard. At Christmas drain the gin from one bottle but keep the Sloes. These can be rolled in plain chocolate for an extra treat. The longer you leave the Sloes in the gin the better. I have a botlle that has been sitting for two years.
Sloe Gin making time is here
The hedgerows are dripping with fat luscious sloes here again this year. Won't be collecting though as I still have 3 untouched bottles from last year
I've just returned from a farm shop where they have the cheek to be charging £1.50 for a small punnet!!!!
there is always next year.
Think that's what you said last year LOL
Still, "I'm alright Jack"
well I went for a very long drive yesterday and stopped at every Blackthorn I saw. After 4 hours I had half a bucket of the smallest Sloes I have ever seen. They are about the size of a pea. What has happened is our Sloes must have been ripe very early this year due to the fantastic summer. The bushed are covered in shrivelled Sloes. I have now made 8L .....
..... and while making room in a cupboard for the Sloe Gin I discovered a bottle I had completely forgotten about from this time in 2001. I now have 2 bottles from that time one of which I knew about. The one with the berries still in is almost black in colour.
just 10 hours old.
Think my bottle last year was prettier lol http://davesgarden.com/t/361840/Sloe+Gin
BTW please can you send dpmichael some stones as I couldn't find any in the compost heap?
This is the way us Wisconsinites make Cherry Bounce, but we use cherries which we have in abundance in our Door County penninsula and use vodka insted of gin.Makes a pretty drink for the winter holidays....
Cheers to ya,
shirley
Yep - I use vodka, see the link above from last year shirley :)
I'll have to try the cherries too, we grow lots here in Kent
whats the recipe Scooter?
~~~~~~~ Cherry Bounce ~~~~~~~~
4 cups sour cherries..stemmed and washed ( or Plums or raspberries ))
2 cups white sugar
1 quart vodka ( or gin,brandy or grain alcohol *yikes* )
.......Put the fruit in a clean wide-mouth glass jar, breaking skins as you do so.
....Pour the sugar directly over the fruit.
.....Pour the spirit into the jar, DO Not Stir.
......Tightly cap the jar.
.......Store in a cool dark place for about 2 months.
........Gently shake the jar a couple times a month to redistribute sugar and juices.
.......Strain liquer into a bowl,discard fruit.
......Funnel or pour liquer into a bottle or fancy decanter.
I didn't make any this year,so have a toast on me ;-)
shirley >^,,^< SB
sounds just the recipe for Sloe Gin
Too bad I can not get sloe berries,dang -it ;-P
ahh but you can.
http://www.freshops.com/gardening.html a US web site mentions Sloes/Blackthorn Prunus spinosa
"The aphid over-winters on various species of Prunus, mainly on sloe (P. spinosa), Damsons (P. institia) and plums (P. demestica). The eggs are laid in the axils of the buds and hatch wingless females in the spring. They reproduce asexually, and soon produce winged females that migrate to the hop. Once on the hop the migrants produce several generations of wingless, asexual aphids that build up in large numbers throughout the summer unless controlled."
I have finally found some time to collect some sloes and I did expect to find the sloes aready maturing in somebody elses gin, but lo and behold I managed to find about one pound. Enough for me, I wasn't too bothered about making some this year because my better half has found out he is diabetic and has to avoid added sugar. It wouldn't be very nice to be enjoying this delicious drink if he couldn't have any..........Cheers
once you try it you will regret not making more fur yersel
Well I have got two jars on the go, one with added sugar and one without, so it will be interesting to see how they turn out. Both are just turning pink after only one day, I think that I need to add more gin though. mmmmmmmmmmm can't wait. I have just opened the Elderberry wine I made last year and whoopee it is fantastic. This is the first drinkable homemade I have ever acheived.
I have just had a sneak taste of the sloe gin prior to christmas and horror it tastes, well strange. Could I have collected the sloes too late? and they are past their sell by date.
Hi Mark,....Merry Christmas
wow look at those Poinsettias
Southmede it shouldnt taste bad. Please tell me how you made and when you collected the fruit