Sloes

[BrianO]

Luckily whilst travelling to a remote rural location, well outside Dublin, spotted a couple of Whitethorn bushes heaving with Sloes.

Picked just under a Kilo.

First year for me to pick them, though all the local bushes I had earmarked as potential for this year, bushes I had spied in early spring, now no sloes.

Is it a case of at this stage birds have had them all, or was it a bad year for them ? Or perhaps as the ones I picked were in early October it is now too late , and as previously stated they are all gone now ?

 

[oliver90owner]

Thatadbe blackthorn then, not whitethorn?

 

[BrianO]

Quite right.... Typo. blackthorn of course. Flowering early spring

 

[Eyeman]

Is it a case of at this stage birds have had them all, or was it a bad year for them ? Or perhaps as the ones I picked were in early October it is now too late , and as previously stated they are all gone now ?

Or someone else got to them before you did.
Traditionally we used to pick sloes after the first frost. Nowadays if you wait till then there won't be any left. So we pick them early and put in the freezer.

 

[Erichalfbee]

None here this year bad spring.
Step daughter lives in Cheshire where the branches are bending under their weight.....similar with elderberries.

 

[BrianO]

Or someone else got to them before you did.
Traditionally we used to pick sloes after the first frost. Nowadays if you wait till then there won't be any left. So we pick them early and put in the freezer.

No, know by looking at them not that, as in not a sloe on any bush, even on inaccessible branches.

On further examination I put it down to the extended dry period we had not allowing fruit set.

Think just a bad year in certain parts

Anyway not too shabby have 6 No. 500ml bottles infusing, 4 with Sloes/Gin, 1 Blackberry ( Wild ) Whiskey and another experiment, 1/2 Blackberries, some thinly sliced Apple, bay leaf, Kaffir Lime leaf and few " Prince of Orange Geranium leaves .... should be interesting.

All cases will add sugar syrup to taste after.

 

[Swarm]

This year hasn't been a good one for a bumper crop but plenty to make a bottle or two. If it's anything like here you're about a month too late.
I still have loads of damsons in the freezer from last year and 4 litres of damson gin that tastes very nice indeed.
We had a nice Spring, good berries on Rowan and Hawthorn but not so good on the Blackthorn.

 

[BrianO]

This year hasn't been a good one for a bumper crop but plenty to make a bottle or two. If it's anything like here you're about a month too late.
I still have loads of damsons in the freezer from last year and 4 litres of damson gin that tastes very nice indeed.
We had a nice Spring, good berries on Rowan and Hawthorn but not so good on the Blackthorn.

Think you nailed it there... Too late for second foraging trip ( picked nearly a kilo beginning October so well pleased ) was just interested to know the reason, changed mind now... Think just too late !

 

[bpmurray]

..similar with elderberries.

The elderberries here have been and gone since mid-September. The crop was pretty good, though.

 

[Bob D.]

Had a bumper crop this year, bottles infusing in the cupboard for about six weeks now.

We're an exposed site so often out of step with others.