SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

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

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.....

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.

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

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.....

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

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

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!

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.

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. ....