On Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:17:37 +0100, Gopher wrote:

Your process is almost exactly what I do and we
will be trying last year's this coming Xmas. Don't normally turn for as
long as 6 months however. Last couple of lots just seem to have been a
but "thin" - not as good as previous years. Maybe due to early cessation
of turning. Many thanks.

Most cheap gin is 37% or less these days: I only ever drink 47% 'cos
that's what they sell duty-free and between me and SWMBO we fly back and
forth to the UK often enough never to have to buy in ordinary shops. But
it's a big difference in alcohol content, I wonder if the duty-free stuff
would produce less 'thin' sloe gin? I haven't found any sloes in the
island, yet, though. Sacha?

On Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:30:49 +0000, Derek Turner wrote:



P.S. After draining the sloe gin, add a crumble topping to the fruit and
bake - yummy!

"Muddymike" wrote in message
om...
Anyone else have the wild windy weather this morning? I have just finished
clearing up the branches from the garden, but I think I will have more to
clear later as it's still gusting. As usual the Tulip tree has fared
worse, its branches seem quite brittle. A long dead holly has fallen at
last, so the chainsaw will have to come out later.
To stop them being trodden into the house I have also swept up a 2 gallon
bucket full of yew berries, does anyone know of a use for them?


To answer your question about yew berries (which got lost in the thread)
No, they are horribly poisonous to humans, some birds can eat them safely
but if I have a 2 gallon bucket full of yew berries I wouldn't be wanting to
make wine out of them, unless I was suicidal.

In message , Martin
writes
On Sun, 4 Oct 2009 13:18:47 +0100, Sacha wrote:

On 2009-10-04 13:00:06 +0100, Martin said:

On Sun, 4 Oct 2009 12:24:00 +0100, K wrote:

Chris S writes


Very windy all day up ere in Aberdeen. Soil blown off fields,
branches down
etc. Ruined me sweet peas :-(

Windy in Leeds. Large branch off a horse chestnut in the park opposite.
Reports of other trees down here and there, but nothing major (I speak
as one who slept through the storm of 1987 and woke to find our car
penned in by two poplar trees, and at least another 20 trees down along
the short road we lived in).

Brugmansias look unhappy - don't know whether it is pure mechanical
damage or the drying effect of a day of wind.

I'm just about to go out and collect the windfall mulberries and apples
... I expect to be some time ...

It is just normal windy in Sheffield. Yesterday afternoon was really wild.
At one point the sky was full of black plastic bin liners.

Totally calm here but overcast - still no rain, though. It's been weeks.....

There were only a few rain drops in Sheffield yesterday, no rain today

Well it has certainly made up for the recent lack of rain in the last 24
hours here in West Dorset. And the forecast is for it to continue for at
least the next 24. So, quite soon the soil 2 ins down should cease to
resemble concrete!

--
Gopher .... I know my place!

Christina Websell writes

To answer your question about yew berries (which got lost in the thread)
No, they are horribly poisonous to humans, some birds can eat them safely
but if I have a 2 gallon bucket full of yew berries I wouldn't be wanting to
make wine out of them, unless I was suicidal.

The seeds are poisonous, but not as I understand it the red aril.
Nevertheless, I would not recommend you to eat them.
--
Kay

In article ,
Christina Websell wrote:


To answer your question about yew berries (which got lost in the thread)
No, they are horribly poisonous to humans, some birds can eat them safely
but if I have a 2 gallon bucket full of yew berries I wouldn't be wanting to
make wine out of them, unless I was suicidal.

Curiously, that's not quite right. That IS true for the green seed,
which is very poisonous indeed. But the red flesh is only slightly
poisonous and small quantities will not hurt you.

Because of the risk of eating seeds by mistake, or crushing them and
then contaminating the flesh, as well as their slight toxicity, it
is very advisable not to use the flesh for food. Compost the lot.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 2009-10-06 09:15:44 +0100, Gopher said:

In message , Martin
writes
On Sun, 4 Oct 2009 13:18:47 +0100, Sacha wrote:

On 2009-10-04 13:00:06 +0100, Martin said:

On Sun, 4 Oct 2009 12:24:00 +0100, K wrote:

Chris S writes


Very windy all day up ere in Aberdeen. Soil blown off fields, branches down
etc. Ruined me sweet peas :-(

Windy in Leeds. Large branch off a horse chestnut in the park opposite.
Reports of other trees down here and there, but nothing major (I speak
as one who slept through the storm of 1987 and woke to find our car
penned in by two poplar trees, and at least another 20 trees down along
the short road we lived in).

Brugmansias look unhappy - don't know whether it is pure mechanical
damage or the drying effect of a day of wind.

I'm just about to go out and collect the windfall mulberries and apples
... I expect to be some time ...

It is just normal windy in Sheffield. Yesterday afternoon was really wild.
At one point the sky was full of black plastic bin liners.

Totally calm here but overcast - still no rain, though. It's been weeks.....

There were only a few rain drops in Sheffield yesterday, no rain today

Well it has certainly made up for the recent lack of rain in the last
24 hours here in West Dorset. And the forecast is for it to continue
for at least the next 24. So, quite soon the soil 2 ins down should
cease to resemble concrete!

Rain here yesterday and today but very fine stuff. We have a long way
to go before it really soaks in and does a lot of good.
--
Sacha

wrote in message
...
In article ,
Christina Websell wrote:


To answer your question about yew berries (which got lost in the thread)
No, they are horribly poisonous to humans, some birds can eat them safely
but if I have a 2 gallon bucket full of yew berries I wouldn't be wanting
to
make wine out of them, unless I was suicidal.

Curiously, that's not quite right. That IS true for the green seed,
which is very poisonous indeed. But the red flesh is only slightly
poisonous and small quantities will not hurt you.

Because of the risk of eating seeds by mistake, or crushing them and
then contaminating the flesh, as well as their slight toxicity, it
is very advisable not to use the flesh for food. Compost the lot.



Slight toxicity?
I understand that yew is very toxic, not slightly.
Perhaps I am wrong.

Tina

In article ,
Christina Websell wrote:


To answer your question about yew berries (which got lost in the thread)
No, they are horribly poisonous to humans, some birds can eat them safely
but if I have a 2 gallon bucket full of yew berries I wouldn't be wanting
to make wine out of them, unless I was suicidal.

Curiously, that's not quite right. That IS true for the green seed,
which is very poisonous indeed. But the red flesh is only slightly
poisonous and small quantities will not hurt you.

Because of the risk of eating seeds by mistake, or crushing them and
then contaminating the flesh, as well as their slight toxicity, it
is very advisable not to use the flesh for food. Compost the lot.

Slight toxicity?
I understand that yew is very toxic, not slightly.
Perhaps I am wrong.

Please reread what I said. The red flesh (aril) is slightly toxic;
the rest of the plant (most definitely including the green seeds)
is extremely toxic.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Christina Websell writes


Curiously, that's not quite right. That IS true for the green seed,
which is very poisonous indeed. But the red flesh is only slightly
poisonous and small quantities will not hurt you.

Because of the risk of eating seeds by mistake, or crushing them and
then contaminating the flesh, as well as their slight toxicity, it
is very advisable not to use the flesh for food. Compost the lot.



Slight toxicity?
I understand that yew is very toxic, not slightly.
Perhaps I am wrong.

Perhaps you read what Nick said too quickly. Most of the yew is very
toxic (as Nick said about the seed), but the red arils are only slightly
toxic.

--
Kay

On 5 Oct 2009 12:49:26 GMT, Derek Turner wrote:

On Sat, 03 Oct 2009 21:55:52 +0100, Gopher wrote:

I realise this requires a
subjective opinion and know it's a bit OT but any improvement on
previous efforts will, I know, be welcomed by the family at Xmas.

There's your problem: this year's Sloe Gin shouldn't be sampled until /
next/ xmas. Pound of sloes, frosted (cheat and use the freezer!) and
pricked, pound of sugar, bottle of gin. Turn weekly for six months.

Why do they have to be frosted? And why wait a year, 2 years ago we waited 3 months but
this year it tastes like it will be ready in another month.

Kath

'The Stories of George the Hamster'
Translated by Lee H and Kathleen Smith
ISBN - 978-0-9546989-3-5
Available from www.arlev.clara.net/george.htm
and from both on line and High Street Bookshops

wrote in message
...
In article ,
Christina Websell wrote:


To answer your question about yew berries (which got lost in the thread)
No, they are horribly poisonous to humans, some birds can eat them
safely
but if I have a 2 gallon bucket full of yew berries I wouldn't be
wanting
to make wine out of them, unless I was suicidal.

Curiously, that's not quite right. That IS true for the green seed,
which is very poisonous indeed. But the red flesh is only slightly
poisonous and small quantities will not hurt you.

Because of the risk of eating seeds by mistake, or crushing them and
then contaminating the flesh, as well as their slight toxicity, it
is very advisable not to use the flesh for food. Compost the lot.

Slight toxicity?
I understand that yew is very toxic, not slightly.
Perhaps I am wrong.

Please reread what I said. The red flesh (aril) is slightly toxic;
the rest of the plant (most definitely including the green seeds)
is extremely toxic.

Let's agree that yew is toxic then, eh?

Tina