SLOE

The sloe, Prunus spinosa, commonly called blackthorn, is a deciduous shrub or small tree in the rose family. It is native to Europe and western Asia and is widely grown as a hedge plant in temperate regions. The plant has spiny, dense branches, small oval leaves, and white five-petaled flowers that appear in early spring before the leaves.

In late summer and autumn it bears small drupes known as sloes. Each fruit is about 1 to 1.5 centimeters in diameter, starting green and ripening to a blue-black color with a whitish bloom. The flesh is very tart and astringent, a trait that increases with ripening. The stone inside resembles that of other stone fruits.

Culinary and cultural uses center on processing the fruit rather than eating it raw. Sloes are best known for producing sloe gin, a liqueur made by infusing the fruits in gin with sugar. They are also used to make jams, jellies, syrups, and chutneys. Harvest typically occurs in autumn to winter, and sloes are often frost-treated or frozen to soften the flesh and mellow the flavor before processing.

Ecology and cultivation: blackthorn is valued for hedgerows, wildlife habitat, and nectar for pollinators. It tolerates a range of soils but prefers well-drained sites and can be pruned to maintain shape or encourage fruiting. Seeds can be planted or plants propagated vegetatively. The fruit’s stone contains compounds related to amygdalin, which can release small amounts of hydrogen cyanide if crushed.