Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) vinegar is fantastic added to salad dressings. It can also be used as a thirst quencher on a hot day and is excellent as a hot drink when you have a cold or the flu.
When you notice a cold looming, take 1 tablespoon of blackberry vinegar in a cup of hot water, or drink 2-3 cups a day if your cold is full-blown.
Step 1
Pick 1lb of blackberries. Remove the stalks, use only the berries.
Step 2
Put the blackberries in an earthenware dish. Make sure they are no more than 2 inches deep.
Step 3
Pour on enough cider vinegar to cover them.
Step 4
Now cover with a dish and leave for 3 to 5 days, depending on how time-strapped you are. Leaving them longer will simply impart a stronger bramble flavour.
Step 5
Now grab a muslin bag (a jelly bag is perfect for this), and strain the blackberries for twelve hours.
Step 6
Get a saucepan, and for every 1/2 pint of juice, add 1/2lb of sugar.
Step 7
Bring the liquid up to boil, while at the same time stirring until all the sugar has dissolved. Once boiling, simmer for five minutes.
Step 8
If a frothy scum (sounds appealing!) appears on the top of the blackberry liquid, skim it off.
Step 9
Wait for the liquid to cool before pouring into a suitable bottle.
How long can you keep The BlackBerry vinegar?
I’m looking forward to seeing what turns out and many thanks .Regards Charlie.
Judy it should keep for at least a year, if not longer.
Vinegar definitely needs preserving. The best thing to use is vinegar.
Hallo! during the war when staying with our grandparents in Derbyshire, Grandma would serve up the most delicious Yorkshire Pudding .. and the blackberry vinegar would be passed around to pour over the top. Try it .. simply delicious! Oh, and the cold recipe .. works like magic!
I’ve used your recipe over several years now and always works a treat – off to pick blackberries this afternoon! Thanks
Could you use Frozen blackberries for this recipe?
Lorraine – Yes frozen blackberries will work fine.
I can think of no reason why frozen blackberries shouldn’t work. Often it is advised to freeze fruit before making up wine or jam recipes as it helps to break down the fruit.
Does this recipe need so much sugar? I want to make this for my daughter and daughter in law but she’s diabetic.
You could try it with sweet cicely or stevia leaf., or you could probably use a more diabetic friendly sugar such as coconut sugar. I use coconut sugar in other cooking and find it doesn’t raise my blood sugar levels. I have type 2 diabetes by the way.
I will be making the vinegar this year with both sweet cicely and coconut sugar (different batches).
should it be kept in the fridge?
Rose – I never do.
Thank you,
Never have with store bought, now on to step 3. Have you ever put fresh ginger? I have some blakberry ginger I love.
Rose
I used this recipe last year for about 5kg of blackberries from our Himalayan Giant, and it worked a treat. I think I made about 4 litres. We are in the habit of a pancake breakfast each Wednesday.
I ran out about 2 months ago, and bought some Artisan B.B. vinegar, which turned out to be about as strong as vinaigrette .. useless.
I want something where a tablespoonful on a pancake will blow my ears off, and wonder if there are any suggestions for shoehorning more blackberry into the recipe?
Ths year’s harvest has just started, and I am trying leaving the first lot in for 24 hours, then applying a potato masher, followed by another batch of blackberries, then leaving for a week to steep.
Would semi-liquidising help? I have not tried that.
Cheers
Perhaps you need a step 5.5 – wring out muslin bag to extract last of the juice.
Is there any reason not to do this … it seems to add a lot of volume.
I don’t have and can’t find an earthenware bowl… blackberries are ready. Does it work as well in a glass bowl?
I make Blackberry vinegar every year. It,s wonderful for colds and sore throats. Even just for a hot treat on a cold day! I use a glass bowl to steep and also mash the blackberries to get every ounce of juice and flavour out of them. Just picked 2 pounds to start this years supply!
Carole – A glass bowl is fine.
Just use a non reactive bowl, because, vinegar. And, of course, you can use any fruit.
Was wandering if you wash the blackberries before using
If I made it now, will it be ready to use by Christmas?
Laura – It certainly should be 😉
Try it on Yorkshire puddings
Is the ‘skin’ that formed over the top a ‘mother’ and will it help another batch if I add it? Excited to use this all winter.
Bimbi: Sorry I don’t know. It might just be mould.
I’ve been making B.B. vinegar since I got married in 1960, I am now 84 and I’m making a few bottles right now. We had such a good crop this year. Yes we also use it on Yorkshire’s and for colds in the winter. Many thanks. M
My mum used to put BlackBerry vinegar on a cloth and put it on my forehead to help with my headaches.
I used distilled vinegar, is it still ok to use medicinal?
Sallyann – Personally I wouldn’t. Try using a good organic, raw/unpasteurised cider vinegar to make your vinegar recipes. Distilled is too harsh and heavily processed.
I put all the ingredients in a large kilner jar leave it until I remember it’s time to boil it up, could be a month or so 🙂 then do as above ref. boiling and bottling. Don’t throw the drained berries away, add a bit of fresh finely chopped ginger, a bit of mustard, some chopped onion, preferably red, salt and pepper, possibly a touch more sugar and some wine vinegar to thin it down a little, pop it in a pan, bring it to a boil then simmer for 10 mins or so till it thickens, then bottle up and seal whilst hot. Instant blackberry chutney, nothing wasted, other spices can be added.
Bimbi’s problem is more than likely mould, there are some that can survive in acidic / sweet conditions, best to cover the bowl of berries (clingfilm or jar with a lid ) to prevent this, though it could be the culture used to turn apple juice to apple vinegar if unpasteurised vinegar is used, hence the mention of the mother, similar to using some of the yeast froth when brewing beer to start another batch.
P.s. Ever tried blackcurrant vinegar on bacon sarnies. 🙂
Good recipe.
Might be nice with apples for a bit of bulk.
As a child I well remember my mother and granny making blackberry vinegar which we used particularly for pancakes instead of lemon juice. And it seemed to keep for years, I’m not sure whether this is just a Midland Leicestershire custom or whether it is more widespread.
I’ve made blackberry vinegar many times comes out perfect every time is an old recipe my Nan used to make us kids…. it’s perfect with pancakes and vanilla ice cream lasts years stored in a cool cupboard
We have a good crop of blackberries this year, will the recipe work with wine vinegar. I also have a bottle of cloudy organic cider vinegar.
Jo, you can use whatever vinegar you want. Although I would stay away from malt vinegar. Yuck, spit.
I’ve been making blackberry vinegar for years , in the throws of this years batch . Red wine vinegar for me , works every time. Just read the chutney idea . Great , as I have wasted the berries for years.
I’ve made my first batch of this, but just wondering, doesn’t boiling destroy the vitamins?
There is some loss, yes. Because we drink the liquid in this recipe, we are therefore getting the vitamins and minerals.
Hi
Wow loving all the comments and memories of blackberry vinegar! I mix half acv half local honey to make a medecinal oxcymel and also add all the other autumnal hedgerow berries. It’s amaZing with hot water for any winter ailments. And we eat the blackberry vinegar on our kale and winter greens its so good! My question is: is there a way of melting the sugar and not boiling the blackberries.. I am worried it will kill off the vitamins and minerals. Thank you!
I froze a large quantity of blackberry juice from last summer. Can you make vinegar from juice?
Hi, i accidentally used white vine vinegar, and I’ve just seen i should have used cyder vinegar. ?will it taste too tart? Thank you
I have today started my first batch of 2020 blackberry vinegar.
By dint of a potato masher I have managed to use 2kg of blackberries and only 500ml of cider vinegar, which looks as though it will give me about 1.5-2l of blackberry vinegar. It will get a week to steep, and a second dose of blackberries if the expected glut materialises.
I will probably also reduce the amount of sugar per volume, as there is reduced vinegar content – to keep the sweet and sour balance.
I am hoping for a product the colour density of Quink which will blow my ears off with its blackberry flavour.
Time will tell.
Hello 🙂 I’m just making today, does the boiling kill the good bacteria of the apple cider vinegar? Has anyone ever tried making a sugar syrup to add to the fruit and vinegar instead of boiling?
Thanks in advance for any advice
Wow that sounds really good! Thanks for sharing all your recipes with us! Will definitely try this.
Hi
Has anyone tried the same process with sloe berries or a mix of sloe and blackberries. I’ve several bags of sloes clogging up my freezer and am not partial to sloe gin ! Thanks