Making bullace gin

The bullaces are ripening nice and early this year - MrL came back with a nice bagful on Sunday morning from "our" tree - does anyone else earmark "their" foraging hotspots? LOL . This is very easy to make, just like sloe gin, in fact. Pick over the fruits and discard any that show signs of rotting or damage, or unripe ones. Make sure they are clean; if washing, leave to dry. Prick each fruit once or twice with a darning needle or similar and put into a large, wide-necked jar; add a couple of tablespoons of granulated sugar, or more to taste. Top up with gin, close up and leave in a cool dark place for a couple or three months, shaking occasionally. When ready, you can decantit and take the fruit out, or just use it straight from the jar. Lovely in the depths of winter, and adds variety to the seasonal gins/liqueurs.
The other pic is of the chillies I harvested yesterday, drying over the Rayburn. I think it's gone out this morning, so will need to get it re-lit, or there won't be much chilli drying going on................