old rooster Posted November 11, 2013 Report Share Posted November 11, 2013 (edited) By all accounts the old thing about waiting for the first frost isn't to do with being frosted, it merely used to coincide with the time of year they would normally ripen. It is suggested that putting them in the freezer doesn't help the ripening process. I tend to cut a slit around each sloe as I drop them into the bottle to allow the juice to come out easily. Some ***** them all over but the cut method works well for us. I despair of this forum at times, the word deleted is p rick! Edited November 11, 2013 by old rooster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yates Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 Loads around us in Rotherham. I havn't picked any as I've still got 3 litres from last year to sup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amazed Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 Anyone know of any decent spots in Doncaster ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 By all accounts the old thing about waiting for the first frost isn't to do with being frosted, it merely used to coincide with the time of year they would normally ripen. It is suggested that putting them in the freezer doesn't help the ripening process. I tend to cut a slit around each sloe as I drop them into the bottle to allow the juice to come out easily. Some ***** them all over but the cut method works well for us. I despair of this forum at times, the word deleted is p rick! That's interesting, round here they are usually ripe end of September or first week of October, generally well before the first frost, leave them any longer and they simply go off on the trees. I use a close pronged fork and p rick them several times, your fingers are a sight afterwards! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old rooster Posted November 13, 2013 Report Share Posted November 13, 2013 That's interesting, round here they are usually ripe end of September or first week of October, generally well before the first frost, leave them any longer and they simply go off on the trees. I use a close pronged fork and p rick them several times, your fingers are a sight afterwards! The article I took the comment from suggested that it might be due to the way our seasons have changed quite dramatically. Guess the answer is to use them whenever they are ready which could vary from place to place. Cant believe how fast mine is colouring up this year! Should be a good batch I hope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norfolk dumpling Posted November 14, 2013 Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 Big year for sloes and damsons in Norfolk. Got 3ltrs of damson gin/vodka on the go. Bottled the cherry brandy recently - so good it's gone; family had cold/flu - guess what the medicine was??? Got 4lbs more wild cherries in freezer - this will replace damsons when bottled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren m Posted November 18, 2013 Report Share Posted November 18, 2013 i went back to harvest them , but on looking again i didnt bother , very small , and not as many as i thought. shame really as i ended up with too many a year ago and through them out of the freezer about 6 months back . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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