Identifying Sloes at this time of year

[Farmer_Gyles]

I'm on the hunt for sloes. I know it's too early, but I want to find some now so I know where to go when they're ready to pick. I may need to cover several square miles of common land and woodland to find some, so need to start searching now.

I know what the flower looks like, but they will probably have all dropped by now.
I've seen pictures of small blue berries, but I expect that's when they're ripe. I have no idea how big they will be when fully ripe.
What should I be looking for right now? Will there be small green berries? If so, how big?

Any other tips for identifying it?

[eirish]

Have a look for what the leaves look like - unfortunately they're a bit nondescript. The thorns help. There will be green berries now, but not large - they're about a cm long when ripe, so smaller than that.

Bottom line, it's tricky right now.

[veggiechicken]

I haven't seen any green sloes yet and I know where there are lots of sloe bushes that had plenty of blossom this year.

[eirish]

I actually saw some Saturday. Some bushes didn't seem to have any though.

[veggiechicken]

Sloes are very fickle, they don't fruit every year, some years are good and others rubbish - in my humble experience. next time I'm in Sloe country I'll have another luck.

[Nicos]

This is quite a clear piccie of the leaves and spikes...



and these are unripe...



Actually the last piccie is about life-sized if that's any help???

[Two_Sheds]

Blackthorn is often to be found on the edge of farmland/fields: it's very good stock fencing

[veggiechicken]

As 2S says^^^^^^^ its used as hedging and it spreads by self seeding or maybe suckering to form thickets. I know of a few clusters near the coast too, edging cliff paths. The thorns are the thing to look for - don't plunge your hand into a sloe bush. You'll know you've found the right thing if your hand comes out shredded and bloody!

[mothhawk]

There are no sloes on the hedges/trees around me this year - the flowers were out when we had that cold snap and snow in April, so the blossom got frosted.

[Jeanied]

Oh no - no sloes!

[Alison]

Looking at the amount of sloe gin we have in the cupboard after a massive harvest last year it's perhaps as well that there might not be too many this year as I tend to get carried away if I see any. I find that a lot of new housing estates have them planted in native hedges round the common areas near where I work as well as in general hedgerows and woods.

[eirish]

I didn't manage to get any last year thanks to an ill-timed house move, and we had frosts while they were blooming, so I was very glad to see some about!

[marchogaeth]

The thorns are the thing to look for - don't plunge your hand into a sloe bush. You'll know you've found the right thing if your hand comes out shredded and bloody!

.....and when you get blood poisoning afterwards (seriously). Any cut you get from Black Thorn (sloe bush) is likely to be infected. If you think you have a cut that is infected keep a very careful eye on it, get treatment if you are worried. Don't just sit there watching the red line move up your arm towards your heart!

[Glutton4...]

Well, I dunno Marchogaeth, it beats watchin' telly!

[Alison]

.....and when you get blood poisoning afterwards (seriously). Any cut you get from Black Thorn (sloe bush) is likely to be infected. If you think you have a cut that is infected keep a very careful eye on it, get treatment if you are worried. Don't just sit there watching the red line move up your arm towards your heart!

I think to say that you are likely to be infected is bigging it up a bit, have been scratched every year for as long as I can remember and never had a problem. Obviously though your advice about getting treatment if you do have a problem is totally sound