Fermented sloe ‘olives’

Name: Fermented sloe ‘olives’
Total time: 21 d 20 min
Yield: ± 1 jar of 500 ml
Ingredients: 300 g sloes (preferably picked after the first frost, or left in the freezer overnight); 500 ml water, boiled and cooled; 30 g salt; 2 bay leaves; 1 garlic clove; 1 teaspoon peppercorns; 1 sprig of thyme

Updated on 9 October 2026

Makes: ± 1 jar of 500 ml
Time: 20 min + 3–4 weeks fermenting
From: Blackthorn

Ingredients

300 g sloes (preferably picked after the first frost, or left in the freezer overnight)
500 ml water, boiled and cooled
30 g salt
2 bay leaves
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1 sprig of thyme

Method

Pick the sloes after the first frost or leave them in the freezer overnight: this makes them less astringent. Rinse them and remove any stalks and leaves.
Prick each sloe 2–3 times with a needle or cocktail stick so the brine can get in.
Dissolve the salt in the water: this gives a 6 % brine.
Put the sloes in a clean jar with the bay leaves, sliced garlic, peppercorns and thyme. Pour over the brine until everything is covered and keep the sloes under the brine with a small clean weight or a bag filled with brine.
Close the jar loosely and leave it for 3–4 weeks at room temperature, out of the sun. Open the jar briefly each day to let the gas escape and push the sloes back under the brine.
Taste after 3 weeks. The sloes stay slightly astringent, like an olive. Once they have turned mildly sour, move the jar to the fridge.

Storing: In the fridge for 6 months, in the brine and always below the liquid level. If the brine smells off, is slimy or has mould floating on it, throw everything away. The stones stay in the sloes: spit them out and do not bite into them. Lovely with cheese and as a nibble with drinks.