Has anyone seen any sloes this year?

seven stars

Not strictly a gardening question, but I can't find a more appropriate forum for a question about picking wild berries. My O/H picks sloes every year to make sloe gin, but she hasn't come across hardly any this year. Has anyone found a decent crop anywhere in or close to the Greater Dublin area?

redser7

First year foraging and didn't find any. But reading around it's just a very bad year for them, here and in the UK.

Alun

Same problem here in N Wicklow. I visited all my usual haunts and either they're all shrivelled up, or there just aren't any to be seen at all. It was the wet and windy 'spring/summer' that destroyed the blossom I reckon.

langdang

Now, I used to know what they look like many years ago as a kid, but these days I could be mixing em up - pretty sure I saw loads of big juicy sloes out in rural limerick. Anything else look like sloes?

Oldtree

v bad year here for sloes, but a great year for blackberrys and hazel nuts. Bad year for conkers too

looksee

langdang wrote: »

Now, I used to know what they look like many years ago as a kid, but these days I could be mixing em up - pretty sure I saw loads of big juicy sloes out in rural limerick. Anything else look like sloes?

Could have been wild damsons you saw?

langdang

They do look similar (after a quick google image search!)
I'm guessing Sloes are more likely, whatever they were - buckets of them out at Lough Gur in Limerick

seven stars

Thanks everyone. Sounds like we're out of luck for sloes in the East anyway.

Alun

langdang wrote: »

Now, I used to know what they look like many years ago as a kid, but these days I could be mixing em up - pretty sure I saw loads of big juicy sloes out in rural limerick. Anything else look like sloes?

Someone else mentioned damsons, but these grow on trees and higher up than sloes, are oval in shape and are much bigger too. They're also nice and sweet when ripe, the complete opposite of sloes

There is also something called a bullace which is more like a wild plum. They're smaller than damsons and round in shape just like a sloe. They also grow close to the plant stem which makes them easy to mistake for sloes too. I've seen them in England, but don't know if they're also found here.

Alun

langdang wrote: »

I'm guessing Sloes are more likely, whatever they were - buckets of them out at Lough Gur in Limerick

Limerick's a bit far to go for me I'm jealous!

rje66

just a teaser, here's a look at my secret location:D:D:D:D:D.

AND, its in the greater dublin area,

seven stars

rje66 wrote: »

just a teaser, here's a look at my secret location:D:D:D:D:D.

AND, its in the greater dublin area,

Wow - they're massive. So where are they? Don't make me come and track you down!

redser7

Everyone raves about sloes but what sort of taste to they bring to gin or vodka or wine that's so amaying?
Thanks!

maryb26

Did not see any blossoms on the blackthorn this year. normally beautiful white flowers. Hence no sloes.

Alun

redser7 wrote: »

Everyone raves about sloes but what sort of taste to they bring to gin or vodka or wine that's so amaying?
Thanks!

It's hard to describe ... sloes themselves are mind bogglingly sour, and you certainly don't really notice much of the flavour of whatever spirit base you use either. There's a Basque version called patxaran that's based on anisette, an aniseed flavoured spirit, and although you can taste it, it doesn't taste hugely different to sloe gin or vodka, for example. I know someone who makes one based ons some gut-rot schnapps he brings back from Croatia or somewhere like that and it tastes pretty much the same as well, although a lot stronger.

You'll just have to try it ... assuming you can find some sloes that is

rje66

redser7 wrote: »

Everyone raves about sloes but what sort of taste to they bring to gin or vodka or wine that's so amaying?
Thanks!

Agree with alun, sloes on their own are vile as is neat gin/vodka but mix them together wit sugar leave for 3 months and youll have a lovely potent liquoir to sip by the fire over christmas. Words cant describe it.

redser7

Thanks Alun/jre66. I'll just have to try this mysterious concoction
Have some waste ground just behind my back garden fence. Thinking of getting some bareroot plants and start my own supply. Bit of guerillia gardening

katsinspace

This year has been good for damsons, I have already made my damson gin. But does anyone know some good sloe berry spots in Wicklow? I heard Bray Head and the back of Roundwood are traditionally good places.

Alun

There are plenty of sloe bushes at the start of the path up Bray Head from the cliff path, but I've barely seen a single sloe on any of them when I've been up there.

My Potatoes

No shortage of flowering blackthorns during the delayed spring this year. Half the trees I've checked have had no sloes, the others have had a moderate amount of large ones.

All you need to know is here:
http://www.sloe.biz/

seven stars

The missus was down in the Burren, Co Clare (near Ballyvaughan) a couple of weeks ago, and she saw loads of sloes out.

Not so many up our direction (Leixlip), but we did find one bush that was full of 'em - see the attached snapshot...