sloes

[Nicos]

I know it's a bit early, but with this year being as it is....anyone checked to see if the sloes are nearly ready for picking????

[Flummery]

They are still green here Nicos. We usually try to let them have a frost - used to be the first weekend in October but with the season we've had - who knows. They certainly need to be black and if poss slightly soft before you can use them. The set hasn't been bad this year - the same goes for wild plums if you're lucky enough to have any near you.

[Headfry]

They turn a lovely blue/black when ready, even better as Flummery says, after the first good frost. softens the skins, great for sole gin! Do prick them all over if using them for Sole Gin! Fantastic

[hils]

The sloes in East London are as big as cherries and a gorgeous inky black already! We have started a small batch of sloe gin as an experiment in flavour and texture.
It is very sheltered where our sloes are so we really do not get that much frost so picking is usually over by Early October.

[shirlthegirl43]

Sloes grow in the field where I keep my horses. They are still green just now but I have to pick them early or the gees scoff them.

[Peter]

For a decent ripe crop you are meant to wait until there has been a frost.

Given the current warm phase of seasons take that as until there would have been a frost under english weather conditions.

Impatiant or ignorant people picking them because they are purple give me one of my "meldrew moments".

[kernowyon]

Impatiant or ignorant people picking them because they are purple give me one of my "meldrew moments".

same for me! i had my eye on a nice couple of trees with loads of fruit on them, and made a note in diary to check again at regular intervals, but currently with restrictions on public footpaths/land etc haven't been able to take a peek. last year trees were stripped by beginning of september

hopefully when/if F&M outbreak clears up, i can get onto some MOD land and have a scan on there for sloes, as mentioned in another thread, i took dog for walkies further afield and found a damson tree absolutley dripping with fruit, some branches even touching ground!! picked about six pounds of fruit, but left it at that so someone else can enjoy them as well. (plenty to go round, if people don't kick the arse out of it) thats another one of my gripes. trees stripped bare just for the sake of it

p.s not usually this grumpy, just re-read this post and i sound like a real miserable old tosser. so had to make a point that this is unlike me

[HappyMouffe]

Sloes are great entertainment - I just loved the look on my OH's face when I suggested he tried eating one of the lovely fruits.

He's never forgiven me...

[TonyF]

I was looking at a long hedge with lots of sloes this very afternoon - very black but also very firm so will leave them and just check on progress.

And found a nice recipe for sloe jelly a few days ago, sharp but good with cooked meats.

[witch-1]

Also saw sloes today - nice and ripe!

Good luck.
Jan
x

[Palustris]

You may mimic the effect of frost by putting the ripe sloes in the freezer for a week or so.

[25cowlane]

My understanding on the whole only pick after first frost was that the frost is actually not important at all, it was merely meant as a measure of the growing/ripening time of the fruit.

In reality there is no need for frost or chucking in a freezer providing the fruit are properly ripe when picked.

[TonyF]

And down this way, frosts dont start until much later of course ............

[jacob marley]

And down this way, frosts dont start until much later of course ............

The way i understand it is like in sprouts the freezing turns the starch into sugar so a few days in the freezer will help the job jacob

[chickenjane]

just posted on anther thread then found this.
sloes at the bottom of our garden are big soft & covered in a healthy bloom. to me his means they're ripe. If I waited til the first frost then surely they'll all have dropped off?