sloes
Tart wild plums
Sloes are the small, dark blue fruit of the blackthorn shrub, too bitter and astringent to eat raw but traditionally used to flavor sloe gin.
The berries are picked after the first frost, which softens their tartness: We gathered sloes from the hedgerow in late autumn.
Linear shrub boundary
- berriesSmall fleshy fruits
- autumnPost-summer cooling period
- gatheringCollection of people meeting
- blackthornThorny shrub bearing sloes
harvest · wildcrafting · picking · countryside · seasonal · baskets · gloves · thorns
Thorny shrub bearing sloes
- prunusStone fruit group
- drupeSeed-bearing fleshy fruit
- stonefruitFruit with central pit
- berrySmall edible fruit
Linear shrub boundary
- thicketDense shrub cluster
- shrublandBush-dominated vegetation zone
- woodlandForested land area
- countrysideRural area beyond towns
scrub · brushwood · undergrowth · wild · native · British · European · hedge
hedgerow
Linear shrub boundary
blackthorn · harvest · wildcrafting · picking · countryside · seasonal · baskets · gloves · thorns · buckets
blackthorn
Thorny shrub bearing sloes
- prunusStone fruit group
- drupeSeed-bearing fleshy fruit
- stonefruitFruit with central pit
berry · skin · flesh · stone · pit · pulp · bloom · ripe · purple · blue
hedgerow
Linear shrub boundary
countryside · scrub · brushwood · undergrowth · wild · native · British · European · hedge · thorny
astringent
Tissue-contracting agent
acerbic · bracing · tangy · acidic · harsh · pungent · biting · unpalatable · unsweetened · acidity
infusion
Steeping to extract essence
- liqueurSweetened flavored spirit
- steepingSoaking to extract flavor
- prickingPuncturing with something sharp
sugar · alcohol · botanicals · homemade · recipe · Christmas · decanting · straining · patience · months
sloessugar plums
Candy-coated fruit or nuts
dates · honey · figs · persimmons · lychees
- sloe ginBerry-infused spirit
- sloe gin fizzSparkling blackthorn berry cocktail