[tallulah]

Am making sloe gin, but this year, unlike others, I stupidly took the advice of a work colleague to stuff the sloes in the freezer to mimic the frost and to enhance the flavour.  I fished them out, and find I have a bag of near mush!  If memory serves, the sloes should be intact in their skins, with just the merest of punctures with a fork.  I assume then that my bag of mushy sloes will be unsuitable.  Can someone confirm this?  Cos if their not viable, I don't want to waste my giant bottles of gin on them!  And I need to get back to the hedgerows to pick some more (if I'm lucky - they go quick round here!)  :roll:

[agapanthus]

That's how I do mine......tend to get more flavour that way and mine usually tastes gorgeous!!!

[tallulah]

Thanks agapanthus.  I was worried lest the mush would create moulds etc.  Incidentally, do you sterilise your jars first, or just give them a good wash?

[muntjac]

sterilise them here using baby tablets or liquid

[David.]

Mushy defrosted sloes are likely to cause sediment that will result in loss of some of your valuable liqueur, even if filtered.

[tallulah]

Thanks folks.  I bit the bullet and made up the gin, but I'll be off picking more sloes this weekend, hang the cost of the gin!  My homemade sloe gin is my favourite alcoholic beverage, and I can't contemplate being without it!  At the mo, I'm relying on Gordon's Sloe Gin.  Its ok actually.