Me again, walked to where to fruit is growing, no thorns, checked several sites on line and if someone does not take before me ( need bit more ripening ) in a week I will make damson jam, any left over, into the gin they will go. thanks to all
Good tip on using less sugar especially with sweet fruit like damsons. The commercial gin brand Sipsmith recommend only adding sugar in syrup form after you have steeped the fruit and using much less. No need to mess about with all that pricking the fruit routine either just freeze the fruit first then add the gin.
Will be making Goth gin this year using Gaultheria berries (somewhere between blueberries and blackberries) which give a very black juice. Also have a different Gaultheria which gives edible pink berries which I might try this time.
My damson gin that became a liqueur was made in Harrow with local damsons. It moved with us to Belgium and was much enjoyed by locals too. I then got my own tree and have made more as well as blackcurrant gin, brandy and vodka.
No way I can grow damsons here in this new garden as it's too hot and dry but I have found sloes in the local hedgerows and may give it a go but not this year. We don't really drink spirits or liqueurs unless we have friends over for apéro or dinner and have enough supplies of old stuff to keep us going quite a while.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
I love elderberries, makes great cordial,elderflower presse and wine, best sorbet I have ever had was made with elderflower. My neighbour had a fab elderberry, tons of flower and berries last year, chopped most of it down but you can’t keep a good tree down it has put on nearly as much growth in the year but sadly no flower or berries this year. Sorry Obelixx thought you are in France,take it from your post you are in Belgium, so the natives like damson gin now, you could start a small micro winery by the sound of it. Hi Steephill, new Berry on me, bet that would be nice as a syrup over ice cream. The OH loves his fruit especially under pastry? He grows raspberry, cultivated blackberry, Tayberry, red gooseberry, gojiberry, blueberry and red currants. So I freeze down those we can’t eat fresh and at Christmas make a large flan with a cremefrais base and mixed berry topping. Roll on Christmas🌲
I am now in France, but haven't been here long. We grew all the above except gojiberry in our Belgian garden. Need to build a fruit cage here as the birds get all the figs, cherries and Mirabelles. They can have those and we'll grow ours under protection.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
I don't find picking my sloes too awkward. Maybe my hands are now too tough to feel the thorns The elderberry 'trees' where I work have never looked better than they have this year. I should have picked some flowers. Don't know about the berries B3. I didn't realise the berries on Gaultherias were edible, steephill. I doubt if the little ones on the procumbens ones I have will be. Little red ones like holly They used to be called Pernettya, Kathie. Perhaps you know them as that?
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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thanks to all
Will be making Goth gin this year using Gaultheria berries (somewhere between blueberries and blackberries) which give a very black juice. Also have a different Gaultheria which gives edible pink berries which I might try this time.
No way I can grow damsons here in this new garden as it's too hot and dry but I have found sloes in the local hedgerows and may give it a go but not this year. We don't really drink spirits or liqueurs unless we have friends over for apéro or dinner and have enough supplies of old stuff to keep us going quite a while.
I think I've just about got time to beat the pigeons to the punch -so to speak.
Sorry Obelixx thought you are in France,take it from your post you are in Belgium, so the natives like damson gin now, you could start a small micro winery by the sound of it.
Hi Steephill, new Berry on me, bet that would be nice as a syrup over ice cream. The OH loves his fruit especially under pastry? He grows raspberry, cultivated blackberry, Tayberry, red gooseberry, gojiberry, blueberry and red currants. So I freeze down those we can’t eat fresh and at Christmas make a large flan with a cremefrais base and mixed berry topping. Roll on Christmas🌲
A state which exists most of the time I have to admit.
The elderberry 'trees' where I work have never looked better than they have this year. I should have picked some flowers. Don't know about the berries B3.
I didn't realise the berries on Gaultherias were edible, steephill. I doubt if the little ones on the procumbens ones I have will be. Little red ones like holly
They used to be called Pernettya, Kathie. Perhaps you know them as that?
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...