Five photos from the farm this week.
Around the fields, the first froth of white blossom is filling the hedges. In the garden the cherry plum tree just beats the blackthorn, but on the farm the blackthorn bushes are always the first to flower followed by the hawthorn.
Blackthorn blossom forming
We have lots of sloe bearing blackthorn bushes growing in the hedges around the farm, which isn’t surprising as we live on Blackley Lane and the name of our farm is thought to derive from the Old English for “enclosure of the sloe (tree) hill”. We plant new hedges most years somewhere on the farm and always include plenty of blackthorn, especially as Beth needs a ready supply of sloes to make her Slamseys Sloe Gin. The photo in the header is the hedge that was planted three years ago to form the boundary for part of the Slamseys Drinks fruit field.
Blackthorn Flowers
Through the winter, the blackthorn bushes cut a dark silhouette with their tough, black branches tipped with long sharp thorns and then in spring, before the leaves appear, tiny white buds form that burst into blossom.
Once the blackthorn flowers have been pollinated by insects, they’ll develop into tiny round green fruits known as sloes. Through summer the sloes grow bigger, gradually turning purple, then develop a blue bloom and finally as the cold winter sets in, they turn a glossy black colour and are ready for picking. These sloes are incredibly astringent, but make a fine liqueur when steeped in gin.
According to Culpeper’s Complete Herbal, “a handful of the flowers infused, is an easy purge; and, if taken in wine and water, is excellent to dispel windy colic.” I’ve read that you can make an almond flavoured syrup by immersing enormous amounts of flowers into a sugar and water solution but I shall give this a miss because (a) I don’t need an almond flavoured syrup (b) it will take forever to pick the flowers and (c) I don’t need purging (easy or otherwise).
Crystallised Flowers from the fields and garden
I also read that the flowers can be crystallised but I found them too fragile. Can you see the stalk with one petal and some stamens? (It’s halfway down on the right). That’s all that’s left of the blackthorn flower. The book suggested that the crystallised blackthorn flowers could be used to decorate a cake for a spring wedding. Quite frankly, it would be madness to consider that plan for longer than a second.
My favourite duck off on an adventure.
Known as The Brown Duck because I’m not very good at naming things. Following a request for some ducklings, on Sunday I handed over a dozen duck eggs to hatch in an incubator as none of my ducks or hens were broody. Typically, by Wedneday morning one of my ducks had decided to sit on a nest of eggs. However, the eggs in the incubator stand more chance of hatching as this duck sits every year with varying degrees of success. Sometimes I think she just does it to keep away from the drakes for a month and I can’t say I blame her.
Row upon row of newly planted Christmas trees.
These Nordman Fir trees are only about 30 centimetres tall so they have a fair bit of growing to do before they’re cut down to sell as Christmas trees, probably in 2022, if they aren’t eaten by rabbits or muntjac deer, die from disease or grow a funny shape.
I do love this time of year. So much promise of things to come.
Wonderful post .. Gosh 2022 , seems such a long way off. Great info on those sloe berries.
It seems a long way off but I’m sure it will fly by. Not sure I’ll have the stamina to still be blogging by then though.
Lovely to see the blackthorn blossom, I have always been very fond of hedgerow flowers, especially honeysuckle in summer, and I’ve spent many happy times picking sloes for my mother to make sloe gin – there may be a bottle under the stairs, I think I’ll go and dig it out!
Honeysuckle is lovely, especially when you’re walking along and suddenly come across it unexpectedly. Hope you found the sloe gin!
I am such a numpty, I have never connected sloes with blackthorn. That’s townies for you. Good luck with the duck eggs, looking forward to seeing duckling photos soon.
I noticed the duck was cavorting around on the pond this afternoon so I fear she may have given up already.
She’s called Dilly! Your spring is so advanced compared to Yorkshire.
OK she can be called Dilly. Sounds a good name to me. Only eight others to name now. Or maybe I’ll just give my favourite a name.
Spring is coming along in leaps and bounds now.
I am honoured. I name a lot of creatures. Most recent is a blackbird who sits on a log near the French windows. He is Cedric.
You must have a good imagination! I name things but forget what I called them.
Hello Anne, those crystallised flowers are so pretty…I can see that they would be very delicate though! Look at that handsome duck! Your new header looks lovely. Enjoy your spring days! x
Very delicate – at least when I handle them.
Crystallized blackthorn flowers to decorate a cake…So glad you consider that madness! And thanks for the tutorial on the sloes. I’ve always wondered what they were and then promptly forgot to look them up!
I’m sure that if a photo of crystallised blackthorn flowers was put onto pinterest that brides-to-be across the world would be desperate to try it out.
Your post gives me hope that spring does eventually come round. We’re finally, finally about to see a warm week which hopefully will get rid of the filthy remaining snow piles. I at least have some daffodils peeking out in front.
Those flowers do look very pretty but you’re right – some projects might be worth reading about & letting someone else work on, although something for windy colic…could be a nice selling item.
I hope there are easier and more effective cures for windy colic nowadays 🙂
Wishing you a warm and snow ridding week.
If the blackthorn is out are we in for a cold snap?
I hope not. It’s forecast to be hot this week.
Looks like a beautiful time of year on Slamsey’s Farm! So happy to hear that spring has finally arrived. 🙂
The Cherry Plum blossom has been wonderful here this year and the cherries are great to eat.
Crops such as Christmas trees do require long term planning, fortunately the rewards from the sloe gin is a little quicker!
Thank goodness! Imagine having to wait six years for sloe gin to mature. Mind you, I think I probably have a bottle of that vintage hidden at the back of the cupboard.
Love that duck. What a cutie. Happy spring, Anne!
Hi Anne, just dropping in to get a look at your stunning blog. If you don’t mind, I think I will plant myself right here and start reading from the top! Wonderful blog!
Thank you for dropping in.
spring blossoms are lovely to see as it is autumn here. so delicate.
We’re in blackthorn country hereabouts too, and the hedges are also full of damson. To look through our windows across the fields at the moment is to appear to see spumy waves rolling toward us.
What a wonderful description Annie.