Blackberry vinegar
Blackberry vinegar is a thick, sweet and sour vinegar similar to balsamic vinegar. It’s really easy to make and has so many different uses.
What you will need:
Blackberries
Cider or wine vinegar
Sugar
A container with a loose fitting lid or a bowl and plate
A sterilised bottle
A sieve and a muslin/cheesecloth (you could also use a coffee filter)
What you need to do:
First you’ll need to go for a walk and look for blackberries. Our blackberry ice cream blog post has lots of tips for blackberry foraging! I used 380g of blackberries (We picked more but they made their way straight into mouths!).
Once you are home, pour the blackberries gently into a bowl of cool water and soak for 5 minutes to clean them then lay them on a tea towel to dry them.
Weigh your blackberries and then put them in a large non-reactive container, such as a glass or ceramic jar or bowl. Pour an equal quantity in ml of vinegar over the blackberries.
Add a loose fitting lid (or put a plate on top of your bowl). Leave the blackberries to steep in the vinegar for about a week. The longer they steep, the stronger the flavour.
After a week, you can strain your vinegar. Place a sieve lined with a clean piece of cheesecloth or muslin over a bowl or jug and then pour the mixture into the sieve. You can gather the ends of your cloth and gently squeeze to make sure that you get as much liquid as possible from the mixture.
Measure how much liquid you have and then pour it into a saucepan. Then add 200g sugar for every 300ml of vinegar you have (i.e. two thirds so if you have 420ml of liquid, multiply 420 by 2 and then divide that number by 3 to give you your quantity of sugar - 280g).
Give your mixture a stir and then bring it to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until all the sugar has dissolved.
Let your vinegar cool and then pour it into sterilised glass bottles for storage. It keeps for months so makes a great gift too! It’s great on salads, drizzled over fruit, pancakes and ice cream or used to make a vinaigrette mixed with some additional vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. It can also be simply used as a cordial - it is sweet and tangy with just a hint of sharpness. Really delicious!
If you like this recipe or just have an abundance of blackberries, why not have a look at some of our other blackberry blog posts:
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Author: Denise Hope, home educating mum of two boys