Sloe berries

Cabbage patch · Post by **Cabbage patch** » Sat 30 Aug, 2014 4:22 pm

Does anyone know where there are some sloe berry bushes' otherwise known as blackthorn with bluish purple berries? Preferably in the north Leeds area? Thanks

sparky415 · Post by **sparky415** » Sat 30 Aug, 2014 6:39 pm

Hi, they are all over Eccup and Adel, but the berries are too early yet....you want to wait for dec/jan for the first frosts.....

Post by **chameleon** » Sun 31 Aug, 2014 11:31 am

Not the easiest/safest to get to, but saw great swathes in flower this year along the A64, between Thorner Lane and the Fox & Grapes.

leedslily · Post by **leedslily** » Mon 01 Sep, 2014 2:05 pm

I haven't looked yet, but got some last year from Hawksworth woods and the hedges around the playing fields. I would say September/October is the best time to pick them.And if you're going to turning them into sloe gin, there's a very useful website here: http://www.sloe.biz/index.php?option=co ... Itemid=128

sparky415 · Post by **sparky415** » Mon 01 Sep, 2014 2:29 pm

Hi, only pick sloes when they are ripe. I very much doubt they will be ripe in september.....making sloe gin in easy, i've done lots of it.....

Bruno · Post by **Bruno** » Mon 01 Sep, 2014 3:05 pm

I make sloe gin every year, and I always pick mine on the first weekend in November, if that helps.

Post by **dsco** » Tue 02 Sep, 2014 2:42 pm

Here's a link to last year's discussion on sloes/blackthorn http://www.secretleeds.com/forum/Messag ... eadID=4986

Bruno · Post by **Bruno** » Tue 02 Sep, 2014 11:48 pm

If anybody is interested, here's a link to an old thread where I gave some tried-and-tested simple instructions for making Sloe Gin (my contribution is towards the bottom of the page of this seemingly unconnected thread). It's easy to make Sloe Gin; you don't have to worry about sterilising everything as you do when fermenting beer or wine because you're using ready-made alcohol, which is strong enough to kill 99% of all known germs and get the other 1% too legless to care.http://www.secretleeds.com/forum/Messag ... essage=25I just hope you can find some sloes!

Dalehelms · Post by **Dalehelms** » Sun 27 Sep, 2015 4:36 pm

I picked my sloes yesterday. They were ripe and are now immersed in gin with a good dollop of sugar added. Usually they aren't ripe enough till October.

sparky415 · Post by **sparky415** » Sun 27 Sep, 2015 9:30 pm

I won't pick mine for a good while yet......not seen how manys about. It's been a bad year for the wild plums as we had a late frost. ....

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Sloe berries

Re: Sloe berries

Re: Sloe berries