cornish seagull
cornish seagull
Some say I need to get a life, but the excitement of finding the Sloe bush of all Sloe bushes sent a tingle up my spine! 3lbs in 20MINS!! And have made my first litre of sloe gin!
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Picking Sloes (for people of a certain age and sadness)
- Thread starter cornish seagull
- Start date
the slow norris
Active member
Nicely done, I made my 1st batch last Christmas and am looking forward to another couple of batches this year. I know the location of roughly 200yds of unbroken sloe bushes down a very isolated path in Suffolk so reckon I can get a good few lbs of sloes! One question though, when best to pick the sloe? Now or later?
banjo
GOSBTS
3lbs in 20 minutes sounds a bit sloe to Me 
the slow norris
Active member
Also, sugar in straight away or sugar syrup in later?
cornish seagull
cornish seagull
- Thread starter
- #6
Some say after the first frost but as I live in Cornwall that is a rare, so I pick my Sloes when they are dark blue and soft, put them in the freezer for a few days and then go for it.
cornish seagull
cornish seagull
- Thread starter
- #7
cornish seagull
cornish seagull
- Thread starter
- #8
Straight away and let it ferment
countryman
Well-known member
- Jun 28, 2011
- 1,893
I won't be picking them until after the first frost.
chamakh_attack
New member
- Feb 14, 2014
- 58
Is anyone happy to let on the location of any sloe bushes in East Sussex area? I'm guessing it is an often closely guarded secret but I'd love to start making my own rather than let my mother in law get all the credit for the annual sloe gin fest at Christmas.
The Bun Elephant
New member
Where about's are you .... Seen a few bushes whilst out and about dog walking ( just outside Brighton) that have sloes and damson tree as well if your into jams
fat old seagull
New member
Cuckoo Trail near 'The Old Hellingly Station' Station Road.......lots of the things. 
Plenty in the Cuckmere Valley, Seaford Head golf-course has a lot.
A bit surprised that they are ready so early, wondering if there is some confusion wth damsons. The latter make better gin and the advantage is you can eat them afterwards, really good in jellies and trifles.
Sloes can be recycled after beeing steeped in gin, recommended is to put into really rough red wine and leave for a few weeks. The wine magically transforms into a kind of fortified sherry...
Leave it too late and birds take 'em all. I think fieldfares find 'em scrummy.
That's what they say but would putting them in the freezer be the same?
chamakh_attack
New member
- Feb 14, 2014
- 58
Thanks guys, I'm in Eastbourne so very helpful thanks guys.
dougdeep
New member
They make great wine too. 100 times cheaper than sloe gin.
Lord Bracknell
On fire
Or bullaces. We have both sloes and bullaces out our way and they look very similar. Check the difference by tasting. If it is utterly repellent, it's a sloe. But that won't detract from the fact that, after a few weeks steeped in sugary gin, sloes are utterly transformed.