Are these sloes?

I'm keen to make my own sloe gin this year, and although I know it's a bit early to be picking them, I've found a few bushes that I *think* are sloes.

However, never having done it before I don't want to pick the wrong ones! The berries I find LOOk right but I don't seem to see many thorns on the bushes. So, are these sloes?

 

They look like Damsons or Bullaces (anyone know what the difference is?) which I believe you can make gin out of as well =] however please make sure your happy with my ID before eating them! and wait and see what other users say as well

 

Apparently (from what I've read on the internet!) damsons have a sort of 'cleft' like plum. As far as I can tell these are round all over, although they are pretty small, about 1cm across at most.

If it helps, I had a friend taste one and he says that they're very 'dry' and sour, which I've read is quite characteristic of sloes too?

Whether they're damsons or sloes I shall still probably make gin with them either way :D

 

They look like sloes, but could be small damsons. Try the taste test - if they're so bitter you have an overwhelming desire to spit it out it's sure to be a sloe.


P.S. Bullaces look like this:

 

That's me not paying attention to the size:o

 

Sloes will make the skin fall off your teeth, even if you have just brushed them, its amazing what they will clean off them.

Archeologists found large deposits of sloe pips at stonehenge & concluded our ancestors had hardier pallets than us & used to eat them.

More likely they were using them as mouthwash before the invention of toothpaste.

 

Bullaces can be yellow - and very tasty!

 

So we've ruled out bullaces, but is the general concensus sloes or damsons? And am I correct in believing that either will make decent gin?

 

They'll certainly impart a nice flavour. Have you tasted them yet? Thats one way to be certain.

 

if there very sour then it's sloe's

 

My friend tasted them and said they were really horrible, but since you asked I tried them myself and I don't know... they do make my tongue feel numb/dry but I wouldn't say they were terribly sour? More like...just raw, green taste?

Hmmm. The mystery deepens! If they were damsons, I assume they'll get bigger than they are now? They're currently tiny, smaller than a 1p piece.

 

Prunus spinosa, common name blackthorn produce sloes.
If it is sloe the bushes should have thorns.
Some are worse than others.
I cannot see any thorns in your pic.

Google Images

 

That's true, I only snapped off the very tip of a branch, didn't see any thorns but then again didn't look very closely!

I'll check again - if I don't find any thorns, plus them not tasting particularly noticeably sour, look like I have tiny damsons. Boo :(

 

They look like Damsons to me and I've been picking them for the last few weeks..up here in Cumbria they are ripe and all the bushes I know of have been picked clean by the folks round here.

Sloes and Damsons look similar apart from size, the Damsons I have been picking are the size of a grape or cherry and bigger, sloes are smaller.

Damsons make the most fantastic jam, and having already made some the next batch of Damsons I have (around 8lb of them !) are destined for wine.

The Sloes round here are not yet ripe and still very bitter. I've never tasted a ripe sloe, but when I do I am guaranteed a great harvest of them here, they are everywhere!!

Steve...

 

These were smaller than a cherry, about 1cm across, which made me think maybe I'd got lucky and found sloes. The flesh seems soft, though, although it didn't have much taste at all, just sort of 'unripe plum/apricot' taste. Seems I just have unripe damsons then! Ohw ell, off to find recipes for damson gin instead I suppose :D