Allotments 4 All

Sloes are best picked after the first frost!

2lbs sloes
2 pints gin
(being a non measure person I just fill any bottle 3/4 of the way up with sloes, then top up with gin, this way you can use any container you want!)

Pour the gin over the sloes in a sealed container. (I use a 1 litre soda bottle) Give it a good shake and an occasional one after that when you think of it, letting them steep for 3 months.

Make a sugar syrup by mixing sugar and a little water and gently dissolve this over a gentle heat.
Strain gin, add syrup little by little to taste!
If you are still standing :P add a few drops of almond essence. Bottle and serve shaken over ice....delicious!! ::)
Dotty P.

Oh my.....that sounds divine!!  Sloes....just so I know what I am picking....small purple plum look-a-likes, blackthorn tree....?  There is a hedgerow on route to my daughters school which has lots and lots and lots......so I think I might take a bag with me next time we walk and start stocking up!  YUMYUM  ;D

Yes they sound right! rmember they say in these parts to wait till after the first frost! :)
And yes it is divine!! ::)
Dotty P.

they say the same with Brussels - yet you can harvest brussels in the autumn. If you wait  for a frost, all the sloes will be gone?  No, get them before all the others do - nothing to touch sloe gin! - Tim

Okay, did it, after spending an excellent morning on the lottie planting onion sets, as the rain came down I wandered off to the hedgerow where I know there are lots of sloes.  The only container I had in the car was one of the kids beack buckets, which I filled with sloes - passer-bys looked at me like I was some mad woman, mind you, I must have looked a site, muddy from the lottie, dripping wet scrambling in the hedges!  Just call me the wild woman of Borneo! hehehehe  They have a lovely white 'bloom', I am assuming I just give them a good rinse and then use as per the recipe.  I am looking forward to it, ready for the new year!  Who should I sent the bill to for the 'drying out' clinic!  ;D

The drying out of the clothing, or the drying out after you have drunk the gin?!! :o
They sound great, just rinse em.

Hope you enjoy it, I kinda agree with Tim and get them before the others do....have been known to freeze them till we are going to France for cheap gin! Hmmm other half going next week must get a bottle or two! 8)

Let me know what you think in the new year! We can toast each other with our hedgerow scavaging :)
Dotty P.

I have a different recipe ,perhaps its a regional thing.We prick the sloes before putting them in a container and covering with about 2 or 3 inches of sugar.Shake everyday intil sugar disolved.leave for three months or more then strain and add gin.Using brown sugar gives a more syrupy drink.

I will have to try that one and compare.mind you have not found any sloes yet this year......... :(  BB what quantities do you use? Would love to give it a try! DP

Hi all
just a side note if you prick the sloes first you will get a more intense flavour and colour
Steve C

Hi Doris!you had better be quick.Iam one of trhe people who dont wait for frost in case the others get there first.Sorry I don't have quantities .At a guess i would say 1/3rd of a demi-john of Sloes to  2 and 1/2 inches of sugar and about a bottle and 1/2 of Gin. Sorry I am not a measurer go more by looking and taste.

On another site to do with food.... is a recipe using the REDUNDANT SLOES after they have worked their magic in the Gin.

Just out of interest, what wild creatures eat sloes? Our hedgerows are stuffed with sloes this year but they just seem to stay there until they rot. Blackberries and elder and goose disappear.
Read somewhere that putting the sloes in the freezer has the same effect as pricking them. Dont quote me though, I don't consume alcohol.

I have tried the pricked and the whole! And I couldn't actually tell the difference, My 80+ farmer friend reckons that teh hassel of pricking them all is not worth the effort, so I go by his doctrine!
Eric can you send me you sloes................!!!  ;D  DP

I would imagine they would make a rather messy parcel. You could always come and visit and pick your own.

hehehehe, will have to scour the hedgerows in these parts I guess.Don't think teh postman would appreciate a soggy bundle! Thanks anyway  ;D

Can anyone please explain to me what a sloe looks like so I can go on a hedgerow hunt ?

BB, go to Google, on images put in sloes, they have quite a few piccies! Dp

....s...okay.....right.......did it.....opened jar, tasted gin........mmmmmm......nice...........gin decanted into jug....had another little taste..........mmmm still nice........ sweetened a bit, tasted.......MMMMMMM nicer.........sweetened more..........MMMMMMMMM NICEST......sokay now......need dark room.......need a lie down.......snice this sloe gin stuff huh.......hmmmmmmmm :P

Things have just GOT to be tested haven't they EJ ??????? sounds like it passed muster.Reminds me that i have a Gallon of Rosehip to bottle up.What a happy little afternoon this could prove to be.

Was late with my sloes, so a few more months to go yet!
 You reminded me BB, have a gallon of red grape to rack! (And the elderberry is looking hopefully near to the end of it's fermentation!) YUM! Dottie P.