On bright autumn days you may notice small purple fruits in the hedgerows, like miniature plums. These are sloes, the fruit of the blackthorn bush, and although they are related to eating plums they are too sour to eat raw. Blackthorn is one of our most common hedgerow species and clothes the countryside with delicate white blossom in April.
A traditional use for sloes is to flavour sloe gin – see the recipe below to make a warming winter liqueur. Share your recipes or observations on what is going on in nature around you during the month of October.
Sloe Gin Recipe
Pick your sloes (mind the thorns!), wash them and prick with a needle. Pack them in a jar with 100gm sugar for every half-litre of sloes, and a few cloves and a cinnamon stick if desired. Cover with gin, seal the jar and turn it a few times. Leave in a cool dark place for about three months, turning regularly. The gin should now be a deep red colour. Decant carefully, leaving the sediment behind. The result is a delicious liqueur with a distinctive flavour. Make it now for a lovely Christmas gift!
