Sweet-and-Sour Blackthorn (Sloe)
Marinated sloes in a spiced syrup sit much closer to the European tradition of pickled plums than to any jam. Sloe (blackthorn) is a small, fiercely tart wild plum; steeped here in a sweet-sour liquor of cinnamon, clove, and ginger, it becomes a piquant relish for roasts, game, or aged cheese rather than a spread.
The multi-day pouring routine isn’t fussiness. Sloe skin is tight and grudging about letting syrup in, so the marinade has to be drained, reduced, and poured back over the fruit several times over more than a week; each round nudges the sweet-sour liquid a little deeper while the berries stay whole and firm.
Handle the vinegar essence with care: at 25% it’s a concentrate, so measure the 50 ml (about 3 1/2 tablespoons) precisely and stir it into the syrup, never straight onto the fruit. Pick the sloe only after the first frosts, which tame its astringency and soften the flesh. The finished fruit keeps developing in flavor for weeks, so resist opening the jar right away.
Part of Ukrainian cuisine — 281 more recipes in the section.
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Ingredients
Instructions
Gather the sloes after the first frosts. Sort the fruit, wash it, pour boiling water over it, and leave for a few hours.
Drain the juice through a sieve.
Bring the vinegar essence with water, sugar, and spices (cinnamon, clove, ginger) to a boil and skim the foam.
Add the sloes and bring to a boil several times, then strain off the juice.
Boil the juice for a few more minutes so it reduces slightly, then pour it back over the sloes.
After 8 days, strain off the juice again, boil it, and pour it hot over the fruit.
Seal the jars.
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