Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Eating and Drinking => Homebrew => Topic started by: tallulah on September 12, 2008, 11:09

Title: The sloes are slow
Post by: tallulah on September 12, 2008, 11:09: Last year we had a great crop of sloes, which I converted into my favourite winter warmer, sloe gin. On recent forays out to the sloe bushes to see how they were getting on - there were none. I mean none! Last year there were, this year there are not. (Not been picked, as I've been checking all summer, and there would be at least a few near the top branches). Has any one else come across this? And do you know why?
Title: The sloes are slow
Post by: digital_biscuit on September 12, 2008, 13:41: ahhh no, i was gonna go on a sloe berry picking expedition this weekend! Might not bother now!!
Title: The sloes are slow
Post by: tallulah on September 12, 2008, 14:07: I wonder if its the lack of bees? What a knock-on effect that would have. Or maybe the bushes round here are having a break ...
Title: The sloes are slow
Post by: digital_biscuit on September 12, 2008, 14:42: I think, prob due to lack of bees and a rubbish summer all added up to be rubbish fruit production!!

I have a friend off hunting for sloes this weekend, i shall report the findings when she returns!!
Title: The sloes are slow
Post by: orfy on September 12, 2008, 16:59: I has been a country wide disaster for crops this year I think I heard the crop is less than 5% of the usual.
Title: The sloes are slow
Post by: happy chick on October 02, 2008, 10:52: So good (well in a bad way!) to see you post tallulah :) . I thought I was the only one to notice the rubbish sloe harvest.
We have a secret sloe tree along a very quiet country lane and normally the lane is littered with fallen sloes. This year nada.
OH and i are really :cry: because what with kids, work etc dont really have time to make other country wines; just sloe or damson gin/vodka. And it costs a fortune in the farm shops!!
Title: The sloes are slow
Post by: Ice on October 02, 2008, 10:53: None round my way either. :cry:
Title: The sloes are slow
Post by: Bodger on October 02, 2008, 11:37: Plenty here, Boozers place your orders. :lol: (http://smileys.on-my-web.com/repository/Drinks/drinking-51.gif)
Title: The sloes are slow
Post by: Knight Family on October 02, 2008, 18:53: Quote from: "Bodger"
Plenty here, Boozers place your orders. :lol: (http://smileys.on-my-web.com/repository/Drinks/drinking-51.gif)

Thinks about going for a drive down the road to bodgers area!!! now were is he!
Title: The sloes are slow
Post by: Beetroot queen on October 02, 2008, 19:19: We had a good lot too LOL

sorry guys you need to pop down to somerset :D
Title: The sloes are slow
Post by: happy chick on October 02, 2008, 20:20: hmmnn, whereabouts exactly in Somerset bq so we can 'sample' yours??

No, seriously, that's interesting because we are on the wilts/somerset border - couldn't find any sloes in our area :cry:

perhaps just not looked hard enough this year :?
Title: The sloes are slow
Post by: Beetroot queen on October 03, 2008, 11:23: Quote from: "happy chick"
hmmnn, whereabouts exactly in Somerset bq so we can 'sample' yours??

No, seriously, that's interesting because we are on the wilts/somerset border - couldn't find any sloes in our area :cry:

perhaps just not looked hard enough this year :?

Between Yeovil and Glastonbury, thats the school run I do each morning.
Apparently somerton have loads too, location unknown but I heard a mother at school saying :D
Title: The sloes are slow
Post by: muddywellies on October 03, 2008, 13:03: Lots in Bucks too! :)
Title: The sloes are slow
Post by: happy chick on October 03, 2008, 13:50: Thanks bq,

We're westbury/chapmanslade area, so I guess further north than you. I suppose there's always next year for sloes :cry: . we'll console ourselves with the elderberries!!
Title: The sloes are slow
Post by: Howie on October 05, 2008, 11:24: Yesterday I paid my annual visit to a secret sloe gathering spot I know about on Dartmoor. Each year I have been able to pick many pounds of fruit but not this time. There were virtually none at all! At first I thought someone else had discovered my secret place, but not so. Even on the highest, out of reach branches, there were veritually no fruit at all. Does anyone have any theories as to what has happened to the crop this year?

This part of Dartmoor is also a good spot for blackberries - usually, but this year, as well as being very late - some branches sported new flowers - what fruit was ripish was very small.
Title: The sloes are slow
Post by: jennyb on October 05, 2008, 21:56: managed to find a few sloes in my part of the world today but very few considering this specific field is lined with the bushes!
Title: slow sloes
Post by: jon & lesley on November 14, 2008, 20:22: well we have been looking forward to making our 1st batch of sloe gin all year,we know where all the bushes are.we went to a spot where last year they were in copious amounts,this year we went out last weekend pots bags etc all well prepared only to be very disapointed to find barely a handfull.oh well roll on next year.we are in watford by the way
Title: The sloes are slow
Post by: alibean on November 24, 2008, 21:20: Hampshire was a right washout this year - lots of sloes but really small and with * all juice (usual spot a good bet in recent years) - had to go home and console myself with a glass of jerusalem artichoke wine or several....
Title: The sloes are slow
Post by: tallulah on December 02, 2008, 17:51: Well it looks like my local area is devoid of sloes; I've had it confirmed by other villagers. But my OH found a healthy supply around 20 miles away - strange that. Wish he'd thought to pick some for me whilst he was there. I was moaning about the lack of sloe to a bloke who was desperately looking for them in Kircudbrightshire, where I go on holiday. He said when there is a bad sloe year, he uses cranberries instead, which he gets fresh from the supermarket. Festive I guess, but not the same as that 'Oh this is made from real Suffolk sloes that I picked myself!' boast!