The Lemon Fool

In October we normally brew up some sloe gin but this year it looks as though we'll have to find another berry, probably damsons. We have one field which is surrounded by blackthorn hedging but this year there are so few green berries I reckon an eggcup ful of gin will suffice. Any berries about in other parts of the UK?

R6

Rhyd6 wrote:In October we normally brew up some sloe gin but this year it looks as though we'll have to find another berry, probably damsons. We have one field which is surrounded by blackthorn hedging but this year there are so few green berries I reckon an eggcup ful of gin will suffice. Any berries about in other parts of the UK?

R6

Isn't it far too early to be looking for sloe berries? Pretty sure I don't normally notice them until about September.

And there is that thing where for sloe gin one should wait until after the first frost before harvesting them.

We have loads of sloes on the way to ripening up (East Sussex).
Usually pick in September, I think.

We don't normally pick until October but by now there should be plenty of small green sloes about. Unfortunately there's nary a trace. We'll probably make some blackberry gin because we're already getting a few ripe berries and it looks as though there's going to be a bumper crop. We've already made and bottled some rhubard and ginger but looks like sloes are a no no.

R6

I wondered if the thread would be about Joe jackson...

didds

or that Huxley novel, 'Sloeless in Gaza'