Sloe

Prunus spinosa, the Sloe or Blackthorn, this year maybe shaping up to be better than last, with more visible viable fruit on the forest trees. Last year I had a job to find enough to make a decent quantity of Sloe vodka.  I heard a country chap once call them 'winking berries' on account of the face you pull when eating them raw, very apt. The Blackthorn has been used by humans for centuries, with their stones found on prehistoric settlement sites and in the stomach of Otzi, the frozen prehistoric body found in the Alps. The berries can be made into jam, used in fruit pies and preserved in vinegar. The wood is good and hard, with a fine grain and has been traditionally used for clubs and walking sticks; the wood is also good for burning producing a good heat. All round another of natures bountiful gifts.