General Description

Hailing from Prunus Spinosa, known as Blackthorn or sloe, Sloe berries (Also known as sloes) are too bitter and sour to eat raw, but taste superb when preserved. They have an intense plum taste. One can also flavour them with orange zest, cloves, cinnamon or almond essence.

Use Cases

Sloe berries are commonly used in the manufacture of fake Port wine and is also used as an adulterant to add roughness to genuine port wine. In rural Britain these berries are also used to make sloe gin, which is a red, sweet liquor with a range of aromatics, most notably almond, which is extracted from the berries’ stones.

Sloe berries are also commonly used to make a jam or chutney due to their intense flavour, when preserved in vinegar sloes also tend to taste similar to Japanese Umeboshi.

Additional information (If applicable)

The juice of these berries also stains linen fabrics a red colour which washes out to be quite a durable blue.

§                     Storage

Keep packet sealed/closed tightly after opening, keep in a cool, dry place and away from pests.

§                     Shelf life

These are dried ingredients and should not spoil in any reasonable time frame provided storage conditions are met, however some flavour and viability may be lost over long periods (Several months) of storage.