Sloes and chocolate

We permaculture guys like to make the most of our harvest. Remember in the previous blog post I told you to save those sloes for next time? Well now you can make these delicious things with them too…

Sloe port recipe

In this recipe, the sloes are macerated again with red wine and sugar and then the resulting drink is fortified with a bit of brandy. The resulting drink will be around 15-20% alcohol by volume, depending on the wine and brandy you use.

It tastes delicious, like a port with a soft edge of sloe.

You can add sugar to taste. I have included a smaller amount than the sloe gin recipe, increase it if you prefer.

You will need the container you used for the sloe gin to do this and then bottles to store your ‘port’ in.

To make about 1 liter you will need:

1. Approximately 500g of sloe berries left over from your previous gin
2. 750ml (1 standard bottle) of red wine
3. About 100 g of sugar
4. 200 ml of brandy
5. Add the sloes, sugar and wine to your container. Seal and shake daily for 6-8 weeks, keeping in a cool, dark place.
6. Taste and adjust the sugar if necessary.
7. At the end of this time, drain the sloes from the liquid through a double layer of blanched muslin.
8. Add the brandy and mix well.
9. Pour into your clean presentation bottles.

How to make sloe chocolates

This is my interpretation of an idea I saw in Alys Fowler’s new book The Thrifty Picker.

1. Take your sloes from the recipes above and place them in a single layer on parchment paper in a tray or box with sides.
2. Sprinkle with some ground cinnamon and some finely grated orange peel.
3. Melt some good quality organic fair trade dark chocolate in a saucepan or bowl over a pot of boiling water.
4. Pour the chocolate evenly over the sloes.
5. Put the tray or box in the freezer until the chocolate is hard.

When ready to eat, break it into pieces remembering that the sloes still have stones. Chocolate goes very well with the sloe port you just made.