Grow Your Own Magazine

Does anyone have any ideas as to what I can do with sloes apart from wine and gin. The bushes round here are just hanging with them and I just feel that I should be doing something with them.

You can make Sloe Jelly with them , but it is extremely astringent to my taste.

Is this the right time of year to pick them?

I keep promising I will make some sloe gin but never get round to doing it!

Is there not something about the sloes being subjected to frost, or is that something else,.... parsnips perhaps?

I'd heard something about frost too. I think it makes the skin more tender. Although at that point you will probably have to fight the birds for them. JB is or has recently been on a sloe walk so she may have picked or been told when to pick.

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Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

Is that as opposed to a quick walk! Lol

I am on my sloe walk 16th September , so I assume that is the right time to pick. We will be subjected to a gin making demo and tasting. Hardship!!
I saw some lovely ones the other day. Apparently you have to prick the skins before soaking in alcohol. Or i am sure i heard someone mention you could prefreeze them yourself to soften the skins. I will report back after my expedition.

They are supposdly better after frost. You definitrly can freeze them to give the same effect.
Round here you would need to get out pretty sharpish as they have already begun cutting the hedges back.

Farmers are now getting subsidies to let the hedges grow around here...don't know what the long term consequences will be though

Should that not help wildlife although it may scratch the odd car.

Back home the farmers and indeed any landowner whose land bordered the roads had to by law cut hedges, verges, banks and trees back to specified heights etc. twice a year (usually June/july and September). No subsidies paid you just got on with it, but for the rest of the year they just grew anywhich way.

I was under the impression that lack of hedging was a big problem in rural areas, also loss of native hedging. If I were redoing my garden I would plant a native hedge as I am looking at doing at the front of the house.

__________________
Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.