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This past weekend whilst walking I stumbled across what has to be the biggest source of Sloes, I had ever thought possible to be in existence.

I was walking around Cosmoston Lakes in Barry near Cardiff, so if anyone local wants to grab some before they are gone , now is your chance, I simply asked permission at reception and they allowed me to pick what I wanted.

I picked 15LB in about 2 hours and I hardly scratched the surface, there is probably around 50 trees there so plenty for everyone.

If anyone wants directions let me know

P.S take a small step ladder as they are all up high happy picking.

I think you are a couple of months early in picking them - mind you, you have to add so much sugar that it may not make much difference. I would put them in the freezer overnight to help break down the skins. (Traditionally they are picked after the first frost)
Hope you enjoy them in gin, we put some elderberries in vodka this year and hope to drink that this Christmas.

It is a little early but everything seems early this year. I was picking sloes at the end of august that were perfectly ripe. A few days in the freezer and then into the vodka and recent tasters have shown it to be most tastey (Yum).

They are definately early this year they were falling off the trees they were that ripe, some of them were huge too. I put the lot in the freezer and have used 6 lbs of them for gin and vodka for christmas ifit lasts that long, as i keep tasting it lol.

I have kept the rest to make sloe and elderberry wine.

Well I had mine picked and ginned a couple of weeks ago as they were going over and now there are very few left that are not all wrinkled...

Finally got around to it yesterday. I picked 5 lbs in half an hour or so and then called it a day - with loads still on the branches. Unfortunately, they're the extremely thorny variety and the backs of my hands couldn't take any more. The sloes are in absolutely prime condition. I'm afraid the traditional advice to leave them until after the first frost has been overtaken by climate change - if I'd waited that long, they'd all be more prune than sloe.

I'm beginning to wonder how many other old sayings may have to be consigned to the "of historical interest only" file.

Mike