Hedgerow Vinegar

Hedgerow Vinegar

We’re never without this autumn classic. Fantastic drizzled over a salad or used to add some extra flavour to a gravy. And a great way to use up some of those delicious hedgerows berries and extend their flavours well into the New Year and beyond.

750g foraged hedgerow fruit (elderberries, blackberries and sloes are best)
750ml red wine vinegar
Tsp cloves
Tsp coriander seeds
Granulated sugar (around 400g)

Take your foraged fruits and give them a good wash in a colander. Make sure you get rid of any unwanted bugs.

Put the fruit, red wine vinegar and spices in a large pan and then cover and leave. A few days is ideal.

After a couple of days use a potato masher give everything in the pan a good pressing to bring out all those delicious flavours.

Place the pan over a gentle heat and simmer for around an hour, then strain the mixture through a fine sieve. Discard the fruit.

Measure the liquid and weigh out half the amount of sugar to liquid (you should have around 800ml – this equates to 400g of sugar)

Place both in a pan, dissolve the sugar and then bring to a boil. Let it boil for 5-8 minutes, then take off the heat, let it cool slightly and then bottle. It is ready to use straight away, but the flavours will continue to develop further over the next couple of months.

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