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  • #1

    this years fruit.......

    Well I've been out and got the first, of hopefully 3, harvests of sloes for the Christmas gin.

    I'm intending to do the 1 pint of gin, 1 lb of sloes and 1/2 lb of sugar recipe - though I then thought that I might start off with 1/4 or 6 oz of sugar to start with as it'd be a shame if it came out too sweet.

    I actually picked 5lb 1oz of sloes, but as some of them aren't that big, and a few of them are still a little firm to touch, I thought I'd probably put the lot in with a 1/2 gallon of gin. Oh and I'm thinking that I'll chuck a clove in as well.

    The fruit is in the freezer as I'll be blowed if I'm gonna sit there pricking each one - should be frozen hard enough tomorrow so I'll defrost with the gin and then when the fruits loose enough, I'll just funnel it into a 1 gallon DJ with the sugar etc.

    Then I can cap it and have it handy to roll around daily for a week or two.

    Quite looking forward to it

    regards

    jtfb

    p.s. Oh and when I was on the way back from Lowestoft last week, I stopped in a layby for my break. The blackthorn I found had hardly any fruit on it, but the 4 berries I did manage to reach were the largest fruit I've seen. So I intend potting them and then just leaving the pot outside in the garden, so that if they do shoot, it will have been "au naturale". Unless anyone of the forum gardeners have any better suggestions.......
    Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

    Some blog ramblings
    Tags: autumn, fruit, gin, sloe
  • #2
    Originally posted by fatbloke View Post
    Oh and when I was on the way back from Lowestoft last week, I stopped in a layby for my break. The blackthorn I found had hardly any fruit on it, but the 4 berries I did manage to reach were the largest fruit I've seen. So I intend potting them and then just leaving the pot outside in the garden, so that if they do shoot, it will have been "au naturale". Unless anyone of the forum gardeners have any better suggestions.......
    Not really a proper gardener, but maybe you should have got a cutting as that would be a copy of the parent plant where seeds could do whatever they want I think. (/me now stands back and waits to be corrected)

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    • #3
      Well thats how it works with grapevines, not sure about trees
      N.G.W.B.J.
      Member of 5 Towns Wine and Beer Makers Society (Yorkshire's newest)
      Wine, mead and beer maker

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      • #4
        Yes, I have thought about taking "greenwood" cuttings as that's what the F-I-L's gardening book says about genus prunus.

        I just did the next best thing as I didn't have any gardening kit with me - cos I was in the truck on the A12 somewhere north of Ipswich and due to kip in the truck that night...... so grabbing a couple of the fruit was the next best thing.....

        Probably gonna try to grab some cuttings from the local bushes as well though (now that you've reminded me about that.....)

        regards

        jtfb
        Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

        Some blog ramblings

        Comment

        • #5
          Originally posted by fatbloke View Post
          I'm intending to do the 1 pint of gin, 1 lb of sloes and 1/2 lb of sugar recipe - though I then thought that I might start off with 1/4 or 6 oz of sugar to start with as it'd be a shame if it came out too sweet.
          We do that, start with a small amount of sugar then add more to taste after taking the sloes out. It works well as my wife and I prefer different levels of sweetness.

          Comment

          • #6
            to take emergancy cuttings , try this its simple and works for me, find a crisp packet or any type of bag as i seem never to have a plant pot spare in my pocket scrape at the ground with the size 12 feet put a large handfull of the cleanest soil you can get hold of but at a push i have used 10 used tea bags take at least ten cuttings or less if you want stick the bottom end of the cutting into the soil and add some water to keep them moist but not to wet and then an elastic band around the top of the bag to keep the cuttings and water /soil inside they can last in there for a week if needed then get the home and pot thenm up properly
            Wine from grapes is alright, but nothing beats the proper stuff to make wine with.

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            • #7
              Would it help, once potted up, to cover with a plastic bag and secure with an elastic band; thus creating a microclimate in its own little greenhouse?
              “Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana!”
              Groucho Marx

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              • #8
                Isn't it a bit risky to collect fruit from roadsides? All the fumes and debris, and so forth, from the traffic?
                “Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana!”
                Groucho Marx

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                • #9
                  “Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana!”
                  Groucho Marx

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Originally posted by benarnold View Post
                    We do that, start with a small amount of sugar then add more to taste after taking the sloes out. It works well as my wife and I prefer different levels of sweetness.
                    A mate of mine was telling me today that he used 5oz of sugar per bottle, so I'll just round it up to 16oz (for this first batch) probably and then wait till I get to taste it.....

                    Though that's gonna be a while.....

                    I put the fruit into the gin yesterday and by the time it was all in a 1 gallon DJ, there wasn't enough room for the sugar, so I'm gonna get another 8lb this weekend and put it all in a 5 gallon DJ.......
                    Originally posted by hedgerow View Post
                    to take emergency cuttings , try this its simple and works for me, find a crisp packet or any type of bag as i seem never to have a plant pot spare in my pocket scrape at the ground with the size 12 feet put a large handful of the cleanest soil you can get hold of but at a push i have used 10 used tea bags take at least ten cuttings or less if you want stick the bottom end of the cutting into the soil and add some water to keep them moist but not to wet and then an elastic band around the top of the bag to keep the cuttings and water /soil inside they can last in there for a week if needed then get the home and pot thenm up properly
                    That's not such a bad idea, a small bag with some potting compost (hell even a tiny tub of rooting powder as well.....)
                    Originally posted by wisp View Post
                    Would it help, once potted up, to cover with a plastic bag and secure with an elastic band; thus creating a micro-climate in its own little greenhouse?
                    Could do, but as I'll probably keep them in doors they'll never get cold..
                    Originally posted by ohbeary
                    sounds about right, look out for mildew!!(botrytis)
                    Pulled into a lay by for a burger today, going back really soon!!, not for the burger which was nice, but for the B,berries lots and lots, not huge but very pick-able, nice open clusters, reasonably full, and so accessible!, now where's me bucket?, can't pick fruit into a "washboard"!!.
                    Yes, I've been eyeing up the blackberries as well as where there's any elderberries left that are any good.......

                    Originally posted by wisp View Post
                    Isn't it a bit risky to collect fruit from roadsides? All the fumes and debris, and so forth, from the traffic?
                    if you drive a car wisp, then you've only got to make sure that you don't spend too much time sniffing petrol........ the benzene element is carcinogenic......

                    I spend my life in dilute fumes....... it's called a 13 hour shift with a truck strapped to my backside..... so I only have to worry about particulates (my cars diesel as well......)

                    There wouldn't be many places that can provide fruit that hasn't been exposed to at least limited aerial pollution....... I just give the fruit a good rinse

                    I'm still thinking as to whether I'm gonna get time to pick some rowan berries as well because there still seem to be quite a lot of those that are in good nick round here......

                    Probably not though as I'm gonna have to get some stuff bottled soon as I've got enough honey for about 7 or 8 gallons of different varietal meads, plus if I get enough elders and black berries, that'll use up a few more DJ's

                    Hey ho! S'pose I'd better keep my eyes open for any on ebay around here.......

                    regards

                    jtfb
                    Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

                    Some blog ramblings

                    Comment

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