Fermented Blueberries with Mint
Description
A lot of my extended family lives in Maine, where wild blueberries are a big part of the baking culture. I remember seeing the tiny Maine blueberries growing wild on the sides of hiking paths, where it would take some dedication to pick enough of them to fill a pint-sized container. If you see professional harvests in Maine, they have these cool blueberry rakes that they use to collect the berries, which makes things much quicker. I have relatives who will buy twenty pounds every year at peak season, where they will store them in their freezer to use in pancakes throughout the year.
This recipe is worth sharing with friends who love blueberries and unique fermented flavors. Consider using the finished product here on top of your morning oatmeal, with an extra drizzle of honey and heavy cream. It also tastes delicious when served with some Greek yogurt and whatever fresh berries you have in the fridge.
While lacto-fermented vegetables can last in your fridge for months, I was surprised to note how quickly certain fruits can turn into alcohol when fermented. To avoid this, I usually stick to a shorter fermentation time, and I try to consume the finished product within a week or so of moving things to the fridge.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Fermentation duration: Approximately 3-4 days.
Serves: 10
Note: You can adjust the quantity of honey or maple syrup in the recipe based on your personal preferences. Consider serving these fermented blueberries on top of pancakes or waffles, with some Microplaned pecans (for this, use a Microplane or fine zester to finely grate your pecans into a pecan powder).
You can use thawed frozen blueberries for a recipe like this, although note that the final fermented berries will be very soft, almost like a slightly sour blueberry compote.
Ingredients
Instructions
Directions:
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To get liquid whey, find Greek yogurt that contains live cultures. Line a container with a large coffee filter, and place the live cultured Greek yogurt inside the coffee filter. Suspend the filter with yogurt over the container, and allow for the liquid to drain from the yogurt. This liquid is your whey.
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When you are ready to begin your fermentation, clean and sanitize your mason jar or fermentation vessel.
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Add the fresh mint sprigs to the bottom of the jar.
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Clean and dry the blueberries, and add them on top of the fresh mint sprigs.
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Stir together the 100g of room-temperature water with the liquid whey, along with 10g of Kosher salt and a few Tablespoons of pure maple syrup.
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Pour the salt water, whey, and maple syrup brine on top until the blueberries and mint are completely covered.
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Add a glass or ceramic weight to keep everything submerged below the surface of the salt water brine as best you can.
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Secure the contents with a lid, and make sure that the lid isn’t too tight, as gas needs to be released from the jar periodically during the fermentation process.
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Note at this stage that your ideal fermentation environment should be dark with a steady temperature of roughly 65˚-70˚F.
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Every day, open the jar to release the built-up CO2, and to check on the progress of your fermentation. Give things a taste and see how the flavors are evolving!
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After you have waited for roughly three or four days, you can transfer the fermented blueberries to the refrigerator and enjoy them immediately.
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Try to consume the fermented blueberries within a week or two of transferring them to the fridge.
User Reviews
Really fun recipe idea here!