Not so slow Sloe Gin

This blog entry somehow escaped being published in Autumn but the fruit of our labour was well worth it so I though we should share it even though it's late! As John Keats once said - ok….'said' may be under egging the pudding … but anyway... Ode to Autumn SEASON of mists and mellow fruitfulness!   Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; Conspiring with him how to load and bless   With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run; To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,   And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;     To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells   With a sweet kernel; to set budding more, And still more, later flowers for the bees, Until they think warm days will never cease,   For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells. It's that time of year again when we stop fighting the urge to hang onto (fading, faded, gone) summer  time and give into the inevitability of winter approaching.  Tidy up the borders, plant bulbs , batten down the shed and greenhouse after the first gales threaten to take them away to Oz (yes getting a bit late for this I know but when you are time strapped…) Anyway, the best part of this time of year is producing Sloe Gin (and for the first time Sloe Whisky) - such a simple yet worthwhile task. All you have to do is : - Half fill a (sterilised) bottle with Sloes (freezer overnight so the skins split to release the juices) - Top up with Whisky or Gin - Add 2 tablespoons of caster sugar (you can add sugar syrup at the end if it's not sweet enough) - Shake every other day for a few weeks and leave in a dark place - Come Xmas - DRINK……it's a beautiful thing to have after a long country walk and THIS is what makes winter worth looking forward to!