Discussion
zbc said:
Slightly OT as it isn't really hedgerow stuff but I mad a small quantity of Raspberry Gin this year for the first time, due to being overwhelmed with raspberries for the first time. Similar recipes but only a couple of weeks storage and then bottled. It's a real taste of summer for these dark, cold evenings. Mrs Z already requested more for next year
Good shout. Meant to do some Cherry brandy, but was too late by the time I got to the fruit 
Checked the sloe gin and sloe vodka yesterday, it's getting good
We were lucky with the blackcurrants, as my MiL's front garden had bushes drooping with the little beauties. Mrs k is - as we speak - sipping some blackcurrant vodka over ice.
Sloes are a dead loss this year, as the bushes we usually harvest were harshly chopped back by the farmer in the adjacent field
Still, lots to look forward to over the next 12 months:
Cherry brandy
Cherry vodka
Blackcurrant vodka
Not to mention a rumtopf I've been concocting since June
Sloes are a dead loss this year, as the bushes we usually harvest were harshly chopped back by the farmer in the adjacent field
Still, lots to look forward to over the next 12 months:
Cherry brandy
Cherry vodka
Blackcurrant vodka
Not to mention a rumtopf I've been concocting since June
Hope everyone has been out looking for new sloe bushes. They are certainly resplendent here at the moment.
Due to the lateness of the first frost, and being away for much of January, I still haven't decanted my sloe gin. However, the blackberry vodka is absolutely amazing - dare I say better than my previous efforts at sloe gin...
Due to the lateness of the first frost, and being away for much of January, I still haven't decanted my sloe gin. However, the blackberry vodka is absolutely amazing - dare I say better than my previous efforts at sloe gin...
Well, for the first time since I bought it 10-12 years ago, my blackthorn is flowering! Not exactly masses of them, and I suppose there is a chance they could only be male flowers, but it is a start! The fact that there are flowers at all probably bodes well for the wild sloes around the country. This is about 50% of all the flowers on the plant:
However, the damson seems to have continued from it's excellent season last year and looks like an explosion in a confetti factory. Fingers crossed we have no frost in the next week or 2:
However, the damson seems to have continued from it's excellent season last year and looks like an explosion in a confetti factory. Fingers crossed we have no frost in the next week or 2:
Been out walking a bit over the past week and all of my usual haunts are heaving with Sloes. I know it's extremely early but I was wondering if I could start harvesting. They look ripe and where I live in France we've had a very weird summer with an extremely mild spring.
Any opinions?
Any opinions?
Early September I reckon. Up until June everything (agricultural crops, vineyards etc.) as well seemed to be around a month ahead of normal, although the more recent spells may have slowed things slightly. Sloes near us have 'looked' ripe for a good few weeks now, but yield here looks poor.
zbc said:
Been out walking a bit over the past week and all of my usual haunts are heaving with Sloes. I know it's extremely early but I was wondering if I could start harvesting. They look ripe and where I live in France we've had a very weird summer with an extremely mild spring.
Any opinions?
Sloes are supposed to be best after the first frosts, which concentrate the sugars and soften the tannins (a bit). Any opinions?
I'd leave until then, unless there's a danger of being beaten to it.
I think I'm unlikely to lose many of them except to the local wildlife so I'll wait until September some time at least. Last year I picked mostly in October but then found another patch in late December that I'd missed before and did a second batch. There was quite a difference in taste so I think I'll try this again this year. Maybe I'll even be scientific about it and do a litre a month until the sloes are gone. Anybody want to volunteer for the tasting panel?
Still got a few bottles from a previous vintage (shocking I know) so I think I'll let someone else have my patch for this year.
I was always told that about waiting for the first frosts before picking, problem is if you do that round here there aren't any left. Guess it's due to the milder weather we have these days.
Made some Bramble Whisky that I'm now sampling, not bad at all, same principle as Sloe Gin just steep blackberries in whisky (cheap blended stuff) with some sugar. Take the fruit out after about three months though as it can go woody so I'm told.
I was always told that about waiting for the first frosts before picking, problem is if you do that round here there aren't any left. Guess it's due to the milder weather we have these days.
Made some Bramble Whisky that I'm now sampling, not bad at all, same principle as Sloe Gin just steep blackberries in whisky (cheap blended stuff) with some sugar. Take the fruit out after about three months though as it can go woody so I'm told.
We've still got bottles from the last two years left and some from last year we've only just bottled.
I haven't looked at my local sites yet, but I think I'm going to wait for the first frost as I have a backup site I found last year which hadn't been touched by anyone AFAICS so that's my contingency.
I haven't looked at my local sites yet, but I think I'm going to wait for the first frost as I have a backup site I found last year which hadn't been touched by anyone AFAICS so that's my contingency.
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