Sloes this year (2013)

Piercemeear

Hi folks, not sure if this is the perfect forum for this, but:

I'm visiting my parents in Kildare and hoped to pick up a load of sloes to make sloe gin. I was astonished to discover their bushes (of which there are dozens lining the field) are just about entirely bare of berries. I was able to find less than half a dozen.

All the other types of fruit bushes are absolutely laden this year. Wondering if sloes are having a bad year, or if others have noticed them out. Maybe the birds took may parents' ones, but it seems too early!

Thanks.

Wally Runs

Same in Wicklow, bad year for Sloes and Damsons. No idea why, maybe hot summer or the like. No Sloe Gin to warm up for Christmas this year.

thomasthomas19

Bad year for sloes in Donegal too
What recipe do you use for your sloe gin?

Piercemeear

I found one laden bush and collected probably enough for a small bottle. So there are a few out there, in small patches. Might try again next week.

Not a complicated recipe:
1. Freeze or prick the sloes to break their skin
2. Half-fill a bottle that you can seal well with sloe (I use swing-top 750ml glass bottles)
3. Add sugar to the bottle. shake it down, add more sugar. Do this until sugar has filled most of the space between the berries. Amount of sugar depends on personal taste—it's not an exact science. I like less than most
4. Top up with gin. (Aldi's Old Hopking is cheap and very good. Probably don't want to use your best gin, but not muck either!)

Shake the bottle vigourously every day for a week, then every couple of days for a month or so after that. Sugar will dissolve and it will turn that lovely purple colour. It's very good after 2-3 months, but purists like to shelve it for a year after making it. I usually don't manage to leave it that long.

Most people strain through muslin/cheesecloth to clear the sediment and berries. I usually just pour it through a sieve as I'm serving it.

thomasthomas19

does much presssure built up in the bottle,

Alun

I've just come back from a short walking holiday in south Wales (Pembrokeshire and Cardiganshire coasts) and I could have filled a shipping container with the sloes I came across there. Lovely big, juicy ones too, despite being a tad early to pick them according to tradition. Also saw some bullaces (think large sloes, almost as big as damsons), but didn't have time to pick any at the time.

I go over to the UK quite a lot walking, and regularly see huge numbers of sloe bushes hanging heavy with sloes, but here in Wicklow, where I'm also out walking almost every weekend, I rarely see any at all. Strange.

Alun

thomasthomas19 wrote: »

does much presssure built up in the bottle,

No, not really. There's no actual fermentation taking place, it's a process called maceration, where the flavours and colours of the fruit are absorbed into the host alcohol base. In fact the end result is actually less alcoholic than the gin you use to make it due to the volume of juice absorbed from the sloes.

thomasthomas19

i was asking because i made a bottle last year left in dark place and it when bang after 3 months sloes every were .

other half not impressed

Alun

thomasthomas19 wrote: »

i was asking because i made a bottle last year left in dark place and it when bang after 3 months sloes every were .

other half not impressed

I make mine in those big glass Kilner jars with the glass swing lids and rubber seals, and have never had that problem, but I do leave plenty of empty space above the gin. I occasionally pop the lid a bit and it after I've shaken it and it does let off a gentle 'fizz' but nothing serious enough to cause an explosion I'd have thought.

thomasthomas19

Must get a few of them jars. You any sloes picked. Was gonna go today but it raining now

Alun

Yes, I brought back 1.5kg from Wales They're in the freezer now, but they'll be in a jar macerating away pretty soon.

thomasthomas19

not many sloes here this year , how much are sloes to buy .

Alun

You sometimes see them for sale on eBay, oddly enough.

whiteshadow

Im also on the lookout for sloes. Had some last christmas that i made in 2011 which was lovely (if a bit too sweet) but yes it seems like there's hardly any this year according to reports. Ive heard they're a bit slower this year, 6 weeks behind normal schedule.

Alun wrote: »

but here in Wicklow, where I'm also out walking almost every weekend, I rarely see any at all. Strange.

Keep an eye out and if you stumble across any on your walks in Ireland please let us know!

I'll do the same, im considering getting the train to mullingar and cycling back
along the royal canal to keep a look out for them.

whiteshadow

Alun wrote: »

Yes, I brought back 1.5kg from Wales They're in the freezer now, but they'll be in a jar macerating away pretty soon.

Hi Alun, When were you in Wales? Im wondering if it's too late for a trip. Also any pointers about where you were would be very helpful. Am considering a road trip.

cheers
mick

The_Pretender

I managed to fill a 1.5L bottle of volvic a bit over half way with sloes. Not a lot I know, but all I could find. First year attempting to make sloe gin, but does it have to be a glass container? And how much gin do you reckon I should mix with the sloes I have?

whiteshadow

Here's a simple recipe / step by step guide.
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Sloe-gin/?ALLSTEPS

I managed to pick 2 kilos today near johnny foxes pub, have them in the freezer now.

Alun

I use the ratios of 1 bottle gin (0.7l), 500g sloes, 250g sugar which works well I think. I usually chuck in a cinnamon stick and a few cloves as well.

seven stars

Last year (2012) was the only year when we could find virtually no sloes on the bushes. This year there were a few bushes that were really good - see this post for an idea.

There seems to be no rhyme nor reason to it though: most trees are completely bare, some trees have a few, and we found one bush (in an urban area as well) that was heaving with large sloes. We also found a row of about 10 trees that all had a good amount of sloes on them.

BPW

seven stars wrote: »

Last year (2012) was the only year when we could find virtually no sloes on the bushes. This year there were a few bushes that were really good - see this post for an idea.

There seems to be no rhyme nor reason to it though: most trees are completely bare, some trees have a few, and we found one bush (in an urban area as well) that was heaving with large sloes. We also found a row of about 10 trees that all had a good amount of sloes on them.

Hi seven stars, I think you are around the Leixlip area, I am near Naas. I cannot find any sloes this year apart from a handful. None last year either and I am running dangerously low on the 2011 vintage! I have visited a few spots that were very accommodating in 2011 but to no avail. If you are finished with the 10 trees, would you share the location? If anyone else knows of the whereabouts of sloes in the general area, it would be much appreciated. It will be a really long Winter without my favourite tipple!
Thanks in advance.

BPW

I have had two successful foraging sessions for sloes since my last post. I got around 3.5 kgs in one field and 2.2 kgs yesterday in another location. It is very hit and miss this year. Some blackthorns have no sloes whatsoever while others in close proximity are full of fruit. Sloes are in the bottles as we speak, both gin and vodka and colouring nicely ..... won't be quite the famine I thought it was going to be a couple of weeks back!