• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Nourished Kitchen

  • Philosophy
  • Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • Shop
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • Shop
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Start Here
    • Recipes
    • Cookbooks
    • Shop
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    » Home » Recipes » Fermented Fruit » Fermented Mixed Berries

    Fermented Mixed Berries

    Posted: Feb 23, 2015 · Updated: May 25, 2020 by Jenny McGruther · This site earns income from ads, affiliate links, and sponsorships.

    fermented berries horizontal (1 of 1)

    This past weekend, I splurged and bought a few packs of berries (a special treat indeed, considering the snow still falls in the mountains) because I was so inspired by a new recipe: fermented berries.  We tend to rely on our fermented vegetables like sour pickles and hot pink jalapeno garlic kraut, as well as tonics like beet kvass, tepache, and Jun tea.  Just when I thought I had fermented nearly everything under the sun, I came across the idea of fermented berries.

    It seemed almost sacrilege at first, to take a beautiful sweet-tart and ripe berry, lovely in its own right, and to ferment it.  Would I ruin them?  Would my son make a face if he tried them?  No, we loved them.

    What You Need to Know about Fermenting Berries

    Fermentation is a near-magical process, one that transforms food.  My kitchen is filled with little (and big) jars filled with fruits, vegetables, and grains in varying stages of fermentation: bubbling sourdough starter, fiery fermented hot sauce, robust homemade sauerkraut, yogurt, and sour cream.

    The recipe seemed simple enough: berries, a sweetener, water, and a starter culture to help kickstart the fermentation process.  In the end, they form a delightfully tart and faintly effervescent treat.

    Why You Should Use Fermentation Weights

    As with other ferments, you'll want to take care that the berries remain fully submerged in liquid, lest they mold.  While big crocks come with huge weights, you probably don't plan to ferment gallons of berries at a time (oh the expense!), and instead, like me, you'll use a pint-sized glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.  Having a few fermentation weights handy can help to make sure that the berries remain submerged, and are, therefore, less prone to contamination by stray microbes. In the end, they form a delightfully tart and faintly effervescent treat.  Other options include a sterilized stone or a lid that happens to fit inside your jar, wedging down the berries.

    Using a Starter Culture for Your Fermented Berries

    Most of the fermentation projects I undertake in my kitchen are wild ferments; that is, they rely only on the wild bacteria and microorganisms that surround us all the time.  That is how I make my homemade sauerkraut, my fermented lemons, and my pickled green tomatoes.

    Yet, for some ferments, a starter culture can be particularly helpful.  When I expect to ferment something for a short period of time, like fruit chutneys, berries, or condiments, I almost always use a starter culture to kickstart the process.  I typically use a commercial starter culture, but you can also use fresh whey drawn off from yogurt, a bit of brine from other fermented vegetables, kombucha, or water kefir.  I tend to avoid kombucha and water kefir as starter cultures as, in my experience, they can produce a slimy texture from time to time.

    Fermenting with Honey

    Whenever I mention honey as an additive during fermentation, a slew of emails and comments inevitably follow, and they all ask (or say) the same thing, "Honey is antimicrobial, so won't it prevent or hinder fermentation?"  The answer is a swift and simple, "No."

    Yes, honey is antimicrobial because it has low water content.  When that water content increases, perhaps because you've mixed honey with water or whey, then honey ferments just fine.  That's how we get traditional honey wines like Mead and Ethiopian T'ej.   The addition of a sweetener in this recipe for fermented berries helps, like the starter, culture to speed up fermentation by providing a source of carbohydrates for the beneficial bacteria you're hoping to cultivate.  The sugars that remain after fermentation give the berries a wonderful sweetness to balance their tartness.

    How to Know When Your Berries Are Ready

    Unlike cabbage and root vegetables which typically benefit from a very long period of fermentation, berries benefit from a very short fermentation, only one to two days.  This keeps their inherent sweetness a little bit better intact and helps you to catch them before they turn alcoholic.  After about a day, you'll notice little bubbles appearing at the surface of the jar. Open the jar, spoon out a berry and taste it.  Does it taste tart and faintly effervescent?  Good.  Your berries are done.  Now, place the lid over your jar, tuck it in the fridge, and use the berries within a month.

    How to Use Your Fermented Berries

    Raspberries and blackberries soften during fermentation, transforming into a thin and slightly jammy texture while blueberries puff a bit.  You can puree them together in a blender, until smooth, using them as a berry sauce over yogurt or ice cream, like we do, or drop them whole into your blender for your morning smoothie.  I plan to stir some of the puree into a bottle full of Jun tea to make a berry soda that I think will be positively lovely.

    Rate this Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Fermented Berries

    With a lovely tartness and a beautiful effervescent sparkle, fermented berries are simple and quick to make. Serve them over custard, yogurt or ice cream, or tuck them into the blender for your morning smoothie.
    .
    Prep Time5 minutes mins
    Total Time1 day d 5 minutes mins
    Print Save RecipeSaved! Click to Remove Ads

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups mixed berries
    • 2 tablespoons honey
    • ½ packet starter culture
    • ¼ teaspoon finely ground real salt

    Instructions

    • Put the berries in a pint-size jar. Pack them tightly with your clean hand or a wooden spoon. In a bowl, mix culture starter or whey, a few tablespoons of water, sugar, and salt. Pour the liquid ingredients over the berries, and then fill jar with filtered water, leaving 1 ½ inches of headspace. Press down with fist or wooden spoon to be sure the water has filled all the air pockets. Add more water if necessary.
    • Be sure the berries are below the waterline, using a weight if necessary. Put a lid on and leave at room temperature for 1-2 days. Store in refrigerator and use within 1-2 months.
    Rate this recipe!If you loved this recipe, give it a rating. Let us know what works, what didn't and whether you made any adjustments that can help other cooks.
    « Crispy Rosemary Roast Potatoes
    Sourdough Rye Bread »

    Primary Sidebar

    Reader Favorites

    • Mushroom pate in a glass jar on a copper dish garnished with sage leaves and fresh thyme, served with toasted bread and Belgian endive
      Wild Mushroom Pâté
    • Rose water in a clear bottle with black cap, damask roses in background
      Rose Water
    • CBD oil
      How to Make CBD Oil
    • sourdough starter in a jar
      Easy Sourdough Starter
    • Bone Broth in a white bowl garnished with bay leaf
      Bone Broth
    • fermented hot sauce
      Easy Fermented Hot Sauce

    In Season Now

    • Cauliflower tabbouleh in a white bowl, garnished with mint, lemon and parsley
      Cauliflower Tabbouleh
    • Brussels Sprout Slaw in White Bowl Garnished with Pomegranates
      Brussels Sprout Slaw
    • Einkorn apple cake
      Einkorn Apple Cake
    • Pomegranate Spritzer

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Cooking Club

    • Join the Club
    • Meal Plans + Downloads
    • Sign-in

    Seasonal Cooking

    • Soup Recipes
    • Stew Recipes
    • Spring Vegetable Recipes
    • Spring Fruit Recipes

    Connect

    • About
    • FAQ
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram

    Privacy Policy + Disclaimer + Terms and Conditions + Affiliate Disclosure + Copyright Notice + Accessibility

    Copyright © 2023 Nourished Media LLC. All rights reserved.