Blackberry update

Yes, I said blackberry update. Yes, it is December and no, there are no new blackberries to pick. If you are new around here, we have lots and lots and lots of wild blackberries. (and a few raspberries, but mostly blackberries) I lost count of how many quarts we picked, but it felt like 100's! Believe it or not, I am now actually wishing we had picked more.

Last summer was the first whole summer we have lived here. I tried lots of different things with the berries. I like to try new things and it was the "experiment" year. You know, try different things to figure out what we want to do with the berries next summer. The problem is I liked everything, so I need to pick a lot more berries! LOL

One thing I tried was making vinegar. This was my first attempt at vinegar. It really is so easy. I followed a recipe in Bootstraps and Biscuits. You just put a few things in a gallon glass jar and let it sit until it is done. The done part was a bit ambiguous. I checked several sources and could never really find a good way to decide when it was done. I guess it is just one of those things you learn with experience.

I was pretty sure my vinegar was "done" awhile back, but I hadn't strained it yet. I decided I wanted to use it for our salad Christmas day. I strained it through a cloth and put it in bottles.

The vinegar is a lovely color and it smells great. Christmas day we made Blackberry Vinaigrette. This recipe was a bit sweet for my taste, but the blackberry flavor was incredible!
I can't wait to use this vinegar in some other recipes.

So now you understand why I am updating you on blackberries in December. We are just now enjoying the vinegar. I will be making vinegar again. I may try to make some other kinds of vinegars also. Do me a favor though would you? This summer if I start to complain about the heat and the scratches I am getting while picking berries, remind me of this post and the shortage of blackberry jam on my shelf in December and tell me to quit my whining and go pick berries! *grin*