Honey Bourbon Pickled Blueberries Recipes

HONEY-BOURBON PICKLED BLUEBERRIES

Steps:

• For a spice bag, place cinnamon and allspice in the center of a double-thick, 6-inch square of 100-percent-cotton cheesecloth. Bring up corners; tie closed with clean kitchen string.
• In a 4- to 6-quart stainless-steel, enamel, or nonstick heavy pot, combine vinegar and spice bag. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Add blueberries and bourbon. Cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes or just until syrup is heated through, gently shaking the pot (to avoid breaking the berries, do not stir). Remove from heat; cover and let stand at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours.
• Remove spice bag; discard. Pour the blueberry mixture into a colander set over a large bowl; reserve liquid.
• Ladle blueberries into hot, sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace.
• For syrup, return the reserved liquid to the pot; stir in honey. Bring to boiling, stirring occasionally. Boil, uncovered, for about 5 minutes or until syrup is slightly thickened. Ladle hot syrup over blueberries, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids. Discard any remaining syrup.
• Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes (start timing when water returns to boiling). Remove jars from canner; cool on wire racks.

PICKLED BLACKBERRY COCKTAIL

Steps:

• Combine the bourbon, pickled blackberry juice and lime juice in a pitcher. Chill until ready to serve. When that time comes, add the ginger beer.
• Fill highball glasses with ice and pour the cocktail over the top. Garnish with a few pickled blackberries. Enjoy!
• Combine the vinegar, tea, honey, sugar, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and ginger in a saucepan. Heat over medium until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes -- you don't want the mixture to get too hot or it will cook the berries.
• Fill two pint-size Mason jars with the blackberries. Pour the pickling liquid over the berries. Seal with a lid and refrigerate for at least 3 days and up to 2 weeks.

CATHERINE'S PICKLED BLUEBERRIES

Steps:

• Place the cinnamon sticks, cloves, and allspice berries onto the center of a 8 inch square piece of cheesecloth. Gather together the edges of the cheesecloth, and tie with kitchen twine to secure. Place spice sachet into a large saucepan and pour in the vinegar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook for 5 minutes. Stir blueberries into the vinegar; cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. As the blueberries heat, gently shake the pot. Do not stir to avoid breaking the berries. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours.
• Pour berries and liquid into a colander set over a bowl. Remove spice sachet. Transfer berries to hot, sterilized canning jars; reserve the liquid. Return liquid to saucepan and place over high heat. Stir in the white and brown sugars; bring to a boil. Boil until thickened, about 4 minutes.
• Ladle hot syrup over berries, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with sterilized lids; screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then carefully lower the jars into the pot. Leave a 2 inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 15 minutes.

QUICK PICKLED BLUEBERRIES

Steps:

• Bring all ingredients except blueberries to boil in medium saucepan on medium heat, stirring frequently; simmer on medium-low heat 5 min., stirring occasionally. Cool 5 min.
• Pack blueberries into 3 (16-oz.) jars with tight-fitting lids, leaving 1/2-inch headspace at top of each jar.
• Pour vinegar mixture over blueberries, making sure to equally distribute herbs and lemon peel pieces among the jars. Cool completely.
• Cover jars with lids. Refrigerate 24 hours before serving.