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Christina Websell · 30-07-2011, 08:25 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening

"Martin Brown" wrote in message
...
On 26/07/2011 22:50, wrote:
Chris wrote:
4. Probably an unripe sloe, the fruit of the Blackthorn (Prunus
spinosa). Fruit will eventually ripen to a blue-black. Not poisonous,
but extremely bitter. You only ever bite into one; never a second!

But goes very nicely with gin (and some sugar, and about a year ... which
reminds me, time to turn the bottles over)

But wait for the first frost before harvesting and prick the berries. It
goes through a stage of looking like pink paraffin but tastes wonderfully
aromatic when mature. I find it is better with slightly less sugar than
some of the published recipes. And just inverting the bottles once every
couple of months is enough mixing. YMMV

I've made sloe gin a few times. Legend has it that you must prick them with
a silver needle for best results (so I did that by borrowing a silver brooch
and using the pin)
I agree a bit less sugar than published recipes, but be very careful about
leaving the sloes too long in the gin before straining them out otherwise it
gets a horrible bitter taste from the kernel. Even more so if you do it
with damsons which also make great flavoured gin.
I tended to shake mine up about once a fortnight at first but much less
often further into the brew.

Tina