Sweet, tart, dark and delicious, pickled blackberries are awesome! Spoon them over grilled pork tenderloin or toss into a spinach or arugula salad. Garnish a charcuterie platter or cheeseboard or use the blackberry vinegar as a shrub with club soda. Pickled blackberries are quick to make, tasty and versatile.
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Why I Made This Recipe
These are directly inspired by the pickled berries I had on a charcuterie board while visiting a winery. Bright with sweetness and acidity, they complimented the meats and cheeses so well I knew I need them in my life.
These are a quick pickle which means there is no canning (or fermenting) involved. You simply pack your berries in jars with aromatics and vinegar. Wait a few hours or days. Then scoop them out and enjoy. Easy, right?!
If you love pickling or preserving, you should try my easy Red Cabbage Sauerkraut, Traditional Pickled Garlic Scapes, and Spicy Jalapeno Pickled Eggs. These all make great and unique additions to platters, dinners and salads.
Top 10 Ways To Use Blackberries
What can I do with too many blackberries? It's a fun and delicious problem to have. Here are my to 10 ways to use and preserve blackberries.
- Freeze the berries for smoothies or baking throughout the year.
- Bake up pies, cakes and crumbles. Eat, gift or store in the freezer for a rainy day.
- Make jam. Can it, freeze it or make refrigerator jam.
- Make Blackberry Barbecue Sauce.
- Pickle the berries.
- Top crostini with goat cheese and blackberries.
- Make syrup.
- Juice blackberries and freeze or can the blackberry juice. You can use the juice to make jelly too.
- Dehydrate them and use a food processor to make them into a powder to sprinkle over salads or grilled meats.
- Blackberry Yogurt Popsicles
- Make blackberry sorbet. Or make ice cream by blending with milk or cream, eggs and sugar.
Pairing Pickled Berries
I love pickled berries served over a seasonal green salad and roast pork. This pork has also been basted with Blackberry Barbecue Sauce while barbecuing.
Pickled blackberries are an extra special treat served up with a cheese board or charcuterie platter. Something unexpected and exciting. If the blackberry juices are running, place them in a small dish on the platter.
Top crostini with spreadable goat cheese, cream cheese or cashew cheese. Spoon pickled blackberries over and garnish with herbs. I guarantee it will make your guests smile.
How To Use Blackberry Vinegar (Blackberry Shrub)
After using the pickled blackberries, you will end up with some delicious blackberry vinegar. It is wonderful and easy to use.
Also called a shrub, this herb and berry flavored sweet vinegar makes an excellent drink. Add a few tablespoons to a glass of ice. Top with sparkling water, stir and add a tasty garnish for a special non-alcoholic drink that's not too sweet.
Use leftover blackberry pickling liquid in salad dressings. Use the same amount you would in any vinaigrette recipe.
Marinate or baste your meat with the vinegar before or during grilling or barbecuing.
Ingredients
This recipe only takes 6 ingredients and you can find them all at any grocery store. Even better, you can forage for all the fresh ingredients. This is a really easy recipe that is ideal for doing with kids after a day of blackberry picking.
(I love growing rosemary and thyme year round, it makes for beautiful flavor and garnishes in recipes all through the winter.)
- Blackberries - You can use fresh blackberries or frozen for this. Fresh berries will result in a more firm texture, if you use frozen blackberries, they will be a softer texture, more like a chunky jam. Both will taste delicious. Using ripe blackberries will give more flavor and sweetness. If you are happy with a more tart pickled blackberry, you can use slightly under ripe berries.
- Vinegar - Any full strength vinegar works great for pickling blackberries. I've used white wine vinegar here but you can use champagne vinegar, white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Balsamic vinegar will add a richer and sweeter flavor. You can even use plain white vinegar though it is my least favorite choice as it has a particularly strong finish that can overwhelm the berries.
- Herbs and Spices - Bay leaf, rosemary (read more about rosemary here) and thyme sprigs, and black pepper is what I've used. If you want to add more flavors, try adding juniper berries (good with game meat) or a ½ teaspoon of hot pepper flakes for a little spice. Other spices to try are cinnamon, cloves, allspice or star anise. Use whole spices if you want to strain them out, use crushed spices if you want to leave them in for serving.
Step By Step Instructions
Step 1. In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients except the berries. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir and boil until sugar dissolves, then remove from heat.
Step 2. Meanwhile, pack clean blackberries into a clean 1-pint jar or 2 ½-pint jars leaving about 1 inch of room at the top.
Step 3. Pour hot vinegar mixture over the berries in jars. Pour in enough to cover the berries, leaving approximately ½ inch of space at the top of the jar. (You can leave the herb sprigs or discard them at this point.)
Step 4. Place lid on snugly and place in the refrigerator. After approximately 4 hours, they will be pickled enough to use.
Related Recipes
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Cheers friends! Sabrina
📖 Recipe
Quick And Easy Traditional Pickled Blackberries
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Cracked Black Peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon Thyme Sprig
- 1 teaspoon Rosemary Sprig
- 1.5 c Fresh or Frozen Blackberries
- 1.5 c Red or White Wine Vinegar (enough to cover berries)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients except the berries. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir and boil until sugar is dissolved, then remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, pack clean blackberries into a clean 1-pint jar or 2 ½-pint jars leaving about 1 inch of room at the top.
- Pour hot vinegar mixture over the berries in jars. Pour in enough to cover the berries, leaving approximately ½ inch of space at the top of the jar. (You can leave the herb sprigs or discard them at this point.)
- Place lid on snugly and place in the refrigerator. After approximately 4 hours, they will be pickled enough to use. You can make these ahead of time. Stored in your fridge, these will keep up to 1 month.
Maren
Absolutely beautiful!! I'm inspired to do this!