One of the things that really excites me about June/July is how alive our homestead becomes. Not only because of all of the vegetables and fruit that we cultivate ourselves on the property, but also because of the wild wineberries that grow all over our homestead.
Commonly referred to as Japanese Wineberries, these awesome berries come out at the very end of June and usually last a only few weeks before they disappear until next year. They are such a treat that we look forward to each year.
What are Wineberries?
Wineberries are actually considered an invasive species. This means that it is not native to the area and will spread and grow at a high rate, potentially causing damage to the environment and wildlife.
Boy, do they spread like wildfire! Typically they are spread by other animals such as birds and deer eating the berries and transporting them to another area.
Every single year there is a new patch somewhere on our homestead. I have a particular patch that I like to keep available but I remove every other plant that pops up. This plant has thorny/furry vines that grow super fast and can be very hard to control and remove.
They grow very rapidly, mainly because when a shoot grows, the vine extends out vertically and then arches down to the ground. Once it hits the ground, it will root again and another vine will start.
How to pick them
Wineberries typically start producing fruit at the very end of the month of June to the first week of July. They are pretty predictable, and I love that! They start off as an orange berry and then get increasing more red in color as they ripen. The best color to look for is a deep burgundy red.
When you pick them you want to be very careful because they are extremely fragile. There isn’t much holding them together and they will fall apart under the pressure of your faucet when rinsing. They also do not freeze well so you will need to take that into consideration when harvesting them.
If you are planning on using them for culinary purposes, I recommend picking them early in the morning when the temperature is still cool and then immediately putting them into the fridge until you plan to use them in the next 24-48 hours.
Picking them when it is hot is not a great idea because they become much more fragile under high temperatures.
Check them for bugs before eating. Many times I find these little green grasshopper-like bugs on them so make sure to remove them before popping it into your mouth!
How to enjoy them
Since these berries are so fragile and difficulty to handle, they are really best eaten right off the vine. However, since we have SO many of them, I really wanted to find ways to use and preserve them.
Making a Wineberry infused vinegar or essentially a wineberry vinegarette, is an awesome way to use your wineberries.
I love making vinegars, it is such an awesome idea for gifts and can be used in so many ways.
The recipe I use initially came from this Taste of Home: Raspberry Vinegar. You can find the original article here:
I alter it depending on how many berries I have picked.
Wineberry Vinegar Recipe
Ingredients and tools:
- 1.5 cups of Wineberries
- 2 cups vinegar (I use white wine vinegar)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- Mason jars with lids
- Vinegar jars
- Cheesecloth
The first step is to pick as many berries as you possibly can. You are looking for a deep burgundy color. Once you have a large amount of berries, about 1.5 cups for 2 small vinegar bottles. If you are picking them during the day when the temperature is hot, put the bowl directly into the fridge for a few hours to chill them prior to rinsing. The berries are very fragile and even more so when they are warm. Rinsing them before chilling could destroy the berries.
Once chilled, lightly rinse with water, removing all dirt, leaves, or bugs. Lay our to air dry on papertowels.
Once dried, put berries in mason jars.
Combine vinegar and sugar into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, do not boil. Stir until all sugar is dissolved.
Pour hot vinegar mixture into mason jars over berries. Place lids on and tightly screw on bands.
Place jar in a dark space for 48-72 hours.
Once done, transfer vinegar mixture to a vinegar bottle by straining berries with a cheesecloth. I strained my mixture into another mason jar and then used a funnel to pour the strained vinegar into the vinegar bottle.
Enjoy! It is great to serve as a wineberry vinaigrette on a salad. Store in a dark place.
Wineberry Vinegar Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups wineberries
- 2 cups vinegar I use white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
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Pick berries and put straight into the fridge. If you pick them when the temperature is warmer, you will want to chill them before rinsing. If the berries are warm, they will fall apart until the pressure of the faucet.
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Rinse berries, removing all leaves, bugs, and dirt.
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Lay out to let air dry from a few minutes to reduce the amount of extra water.
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Place berries in a mason jar.
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In a large saucepan, bring vinegar and sugar up to a simmer, stirring constantly.
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Heat until all sugar is dissolved. Do not boil.
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Pour hot vinegar over berries in mason jar.
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Tightly crew on lid and metal band.
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Put jar in dark space for 48-72 hours.
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Transfer to vinegar bottle by straining berries using a cheesecloth.
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Store in a dark place.
Welcome to Wingin’ it on the Homestead! My name is Stephanie Leaf. I am a wife to a can-fix-anything husband, mother of two boys under 3, future expert gardener, lover of anything old and dusty, and inspiring homesteader. My family and I are new to this journey and loving every minute of it. Please join me in embracing a simpler life!