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Sloe also known as Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) is a thorny hedgerow plant with dark purple berries often sought after in autumn to make warming country wine or gin.
The small tree or shrub also has a firm place in folk history and medicine in the British Isles.
Scientific Name
Family
Rosacea
Botanical Description
Small tree or shrub growing up to 4 m tall. The bark is blackish with spiny black stems, oval-like leaves, and snowy-white flowers. Dark purplish berries appear between August to November.
Status
Deciduous. Native.
Habitat
Deciduous woodland, hedgerows, river banks, scrub
Parts Used for Food
Fruits, flowers, and leaves.
Harvest Time
The tree blossoms March to April and yield fruit from August to November.
Food Uses
Picking sloes, or blackthorn berries, in autumn, is a well-kept countryside tradition in Britain, Ireland and parts of Europe. The fruit is often made into sloe wine or gin. Sloes are also used to make jam and jelly.
The flowers can be sugared for edible cake decorations and a tea can be made from the leaves.
Nutritional Profile
Fresh sloes contain about 10 mg of vitamin C and 5 mg of vitamin E per 100g. They are rich in other nutrients: 453 mg potassium, 5 mg calcium and 22 mg magnesium per 100g.
The fruit are also very high in antioxidant compounds phenols and flavonoids, and in essential fatty acids, which are thought to bring many health benefits such as reducing the incidence of chronic disease.
Sloe Recipes
Herbal Medicine Uses
The astringent berries and bark have been used to treat diarrhoea, while the flowers have been used as a laxative.
Sloes were also used as remedies for coughs and colds because of their astringency. The peeled bark boiled in water was a gypsy remedy for bronchitis.
Other Uses
This prickly shrub has made an excellent hedgerow for centuries, providing a nearly impenetrable barrier for fields and coasts.
Safety Note
There is little conclusive data on the toxicity of blackthorn, although caution is always advised when using any medicinal herb during pregnancy or when breastfeeding, or when using alongside a prescribed medication for a specific condition. Consult your healthcare adviser first.
The most-reported injury caused by the plant is due to its spiny thorns.
References
Allen, D. E. & Hatfield, G. (2004) Medicinal plants in folk tradition: an ethnobotany of Britain & Ireland. Portland: Timber Press.
Facciola, S. (1998) Cornucopia II: a source book of edible plants. Vista: Kampong Publications.
Grigson, G. (1996) The Englishman鈥檚 flora. Oxford: Helicon.
S谩nchez-Mata, M. de C. & Tard铆o, J. (eds.) (2016) Mediterranean wild edible plants: ethnobotany and food composition tables. New York: Springer.
Thank you for these informative posts
You’re welcome Jo… glad you like them.
Thanks Robin, beautifully described.
Thanks Robin, really informative.
good info per usual. how does one prepare the bark please?
Carla – The gypsies would peel the bark and boil it in water. I would suspect in the way one makes a decoction. Chop the bark up, place in cold water and bring to a boil. As soon as the water starts boiling, turn it down to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes. I usually allow 50g per 500ml of water. But I like strong brews, others would disagree. I strongly advise that you only get the bark from the twigs and branches and not the ‘trunk’, otherwise, you can kill the plant.
Thank you Robin, extremely interesting
Very informative. I will make the jam next year. I didn’t know sloes could be used for jam. This year I made sloe gin. Thanks for the information.
Robin can sloe berries just be put in porridge or smoothies with out any prep other than rinsing , Gareth
If you like mouth puckering astringency and sour.
Thanks, I was doing a project for school which mentioned sloe berries and I didn’t know what they were.
This helped, thanks 馃檪
-rachel
Dear Robin,
I have mixed picked sloes with muscovado sugar and then put them in the freezer. I intend eating them with brandy and cream, after thawing, as I do with the blackcurrants/raspberries I grow.
Do the stones contain cyanide (as do some other stone fruits) and are they safe to eat?
After making sloe gin, keep the sloes and then add to melted dark chocolate(remove the stones first) or alternatively use in a cake mixture.
Would you please explain the poisen in the thorns?
I know they can remain potent even when old.
Is there anything dangerous with turning partially green sloes into wine.
Not that I know of. It would be the same as using any other unripe fruit I would imagine. Best to wait until ripe unless you want to experiment.
I’ve picked loads of Sloe berries this year has been a bumper year.
I put down an upturned umbrella to catch them .
I’ve semi frozen them and boiled them slowly and strained and them throwing away the stones and strained twice so as to leave a nice, near clear juice can
I add jam sugar now to make a syrpe? Yours c duffy
Are there any particular health or nutritional benefits to the leaves? Are they best used as a tea or can they be eaten raw too?