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The snowy white flowers of the blackthorn are one of the first blooms of spring in the hedgerow. It has thorny branches, small oval-shaped leaves and, in autumn, purple marble-sized fruits, commonly known as sloes.

Sloe berries. © Robert Reader/Getty

As with sloe gin, there's a fair bit of waiting around before you can sample your sloe port but, believe me, it's well worth it!

Ingredients

  • Sloes, that you used to make your sloe gin
  • 700ml Red wine, I like to use claret
  • 100g Caster sugar
  • 200ml Brandy

Method

  • STEP 1

    Put the sloes, wine and caster sugar into a 1 litre jar and shake to dissolve the sugar. Store the jar in a dark cupboard for 3 weeks, giving it a little shake now and then.

  • STEP 2

    After the 3 weeks, add the brandy, shake well and leave for at least 3 months before straining.

Christine Iverson is the author of The Hedgerow Apothecary and The Garden Apothecary (both published by Summersdale Publishers). She discovered a love of cottage gardens and all things hedgerow after moving to a Sussex downland village in 2001. This fascination led to volunteering as an apothecarist at the Weald and Downland Living Museum where she taught schoolchildren about medieval and Tudor medicine. She runs regular folklore and foraging workshops and gives talks to local women’s institutes and horticultural societies.

This is a recipe from The Hedgerow Apothecary: Recipes, Remedies and Rituals by Christine Iverson, published by Summersdale, £14.99.

The Hedgerow Apothecary

Authors

Christine IversonAuthor

Christine Iverson is the author of The Hedgerow Apothecary and The Garden Apothecary (both published by Summersdale Publishers).

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