Sloe Down!

Over the past few years, during Autumn and Winter, we have tried to use what is around us to make a little extra money. over the past few years we have collected, rose hips, hawthorn berries, sloe berries and willow whips and then sold them on.

Last year we made quite a bit of money from the Sloe's and Willow whips. People buy the Sloe's for Sloe Gin and the Willow whips for crafting hoops for willow wreaths. It is a good way to get the family all out together and not to have them in the house being bored and nagging. I really enjoy it.

Last year we collected around 60lb of Sloes and made about £300 by selling them via Gumtree and Ebay. Though posting was a bit of a nightmare to be honest!!

This year, the Sloe's seem to be out very early and in abundance too. I thought I would take advantage of this before the birds get into them. The birds are not really that keen on the Sloe's as they are very hard and very bitter and dry too, but when the Winter turns bad, they will eat them. I am always sure not to take too many from the same bush to leave some for the birds, and when possible, in the spring I take cuttings and then replant them to make the crop even bigger for the birds and me in years to come.

Now I am trying to follow a more Pagan path of life, I am not worried about asking and thanking nature for what I take and use, so just the other morning I was walked down to an old friend from which I have been lucky enough to collect most of the Sloe's from over the years. This time, I thought I would ask Mother Earth for the fruit and give thanks too. I took a few moments to think over what I was about to do and said a little thank you. I moved in to the centre of the bush to touch the trunk of the bush and on my way in a bloody big thorn stuck me straight in the thumb under the nail  and a branch freed itself and whacked me straight in the ear hole. What a bugger I thought, this is the first time I have ever asked and thanked Mother Earth for her fruits and almost straight away, I get told off by her, and the bush.

Thought about it for a while, then I came to the decision that I was having a good telling off for not asking all the times in the past I had taken her fruits.