Vild med Djursland

Good news for
the kitchen and
the drinks cabinet

Autumn has arrived, but there are still treats to be found in the countryside on Djursland. Sloes and juniper berries are two overlooked options that can be used for schnapps, gin and cooking alike.

Here is a guide to recognising them, where to find them, and how to harvest and use them.

Sloe

The sloe (blackthorn) is a deciduous, thorny bush that often grows in dense thickets with many prickly branch thorns. The small, round, blue-black berries are about 1–1.5 cm in diameter and have a pale, dusty bloom. In spring the bush flowers with small white blossoms, often before the leaves unfold.

On Djursland you can look for sloes in coastal thickets, on coastal slopes, dry grassland and along hedgerows and woodland edges. It thrives in open, sunny spots and tolerates wind, which makes it common in the open countryside.

Map of Djursland: where to find sloes

The small, dark blue, dusted sloes look almost like miniature plums, but make no mistake: if you eat them straight off the bush, your whole mouth puckers because of the tannins. But once they get frost, the tannins break down and release a lovely sweetness. You do not have to wait, though – you can achieve the same flavourful result by putting them in the freezer for about a week.

You can use sloes for, among other things:
Sloe schnapps, sloe jam, sloe jelly, sloe juice, sloe syrup, sloe cordial, sloe vinegar, sloe compote and sloes in chutney.

Sloe schnapps

Sloe schnapps is a classic, in which the sloes steep in schnapps or vodka, releasing their flavour and colour. The result is an aromatic schnapps with a characteristic fruity taste that becomes rounder if you add a little sweetness.

Ingredients:

Method:

* Sloe sugar: Once the essence has been poured off the berries, you can use them to make sloe sugar – a sweet, liqueur-like liquid – which you can use to sweeten the sloe schnapps.

Method:

Sloe Gin

In England it is popular to make Sloe Gin, using gin instead of schnapps. The method is simple, and you get a sweet, aromatic drink with the characteristic flavour of the sloes.

Ingredients:

Method:

Sloe Gin can be enjoyed neat or with ice and is often served in small glasses after a meal, a little like a liqueur. The sweet, fruity taste also goes well with cheese, especially the British blue cheese Stilton, where Sloe Gin can serve as an alternative to port.

Another option is to mix Sloe Gin with tonic water. The bitter taste of the tonic offsets the sweetness of the sloes, and a slice of lemon or lime goes well with it. You can also mix Sloe Gin with champagne. This combination is known, among other names, as a Sloe Royale.

Sloe Gin can also be used in warm winter drinks, for example hot cocktails with lemon and honey, or as a flavourful addition to hot chocolate.

Juniper

Juniper is an evergreen bush or small tree. The needles are short, stiff and sharp and sit in whorls of three. The ripe, blue-black juniper berries are actually berry cones, about 4–10 mm in diameter, with a dusty bloom.

Juniper grows especially in dry, nutrient-poor places near the coast. You can therefore often find it in open coastal landscapes and in light, coastal thickets, for example at Glatved Strand and on Mols.

When picking juniper berries, it is a good idea to wear gloves, because the needles prick.

Map of Djursland: where to find juniper

Juniper berries can be used to make compound gin and other spirits such as genever. They can also be used for spiced schnapps, where the berries steep in the alcohol and release their flavour. In cooking, juniper berries are used as a spice in game dishes, slow-cooked dishes and pickling, among other things. Both branches and berries can also be used when smoking meat and fish to add a characteristic flavour.

Compound Gin

Compound gin is gin made by letting juniper berries and other spices steep directly in a neutral alcohol base. Unlike distilled gin, the mixture is not distilled afterwards but filtered and bottled.

Ingredients:

Method:

Drying juniper berries

Since the compound gin recipe calls for dried juniper berries, the berries need to be dried after harvesting. Drying concentrates the berries' essential oils and ensures they do not go mouldy in storage. You can let the berries air-dry slowly, or speed up the process using an oven or a dehydrator.

Before you start, the berries should be cleaned of needles and twigs, rinsed quickly in cold water and patted completely dry with kitchen paper.

Method 1: Air drying
This is the gentlest method and preserves the most flavour. Spread the cleaned berries in a single layer on a baking tray lined with baking paper or a clean tea towel. Place the tray in a warm, dry spot with good air circulation but out of direct sunlight. Turn the berries along the way. After 1–2 weeks the berries are firm, wrinkled and completely dry.

Method 2: Oven drying
If you want a faster process, you can dry the berries in the oven. Set the oven to its lowest possible temperature (typically 50 °C) with the fan on, and spread the berries in a single layer on a baking tray. Wedge a wooden spoon in the oven door to keep a small gap – this is essential so the temperature does not get too high and the moisture can escape. Let the berries dry for 4–6 hours. If your oven has no fan setting, you can simply switch on the oven light and leave the door ajar; the heat from the bulb is often enough for a slow drying over 12–24 hours.

Method 3: Dehydrator
If you have a dehydrator, it is ideal, since unlike the oven it can be set precisely to very low temperatures and has constant air circulation. Spread the juniper berries on the dehydrator trays in a single layer and set the temperature to 40–45 °C. Depending on the size and moisture of the berries, drying typically takes between 6 and 10 hours.

The berries are done when they feel firm and leathery and no liquid comes out when you press them hard. Let the berries cool completely before pouring them into clean, airtight jars. Stored in a dark, cool place, they keep for 6–12 months.