WILD FOOD: JUNIPER BERRIES

Dried juniper berries are a classic spice for venison recipes, but are they the same as or similar to the berries found on our local Ashe juniper (cedar)? Can the juniper berries populating the cedar on our Central Texas property be used just like the dried juniper berries in that bottle of Morton & Bassett in the back of our pantry?

Yes!

As the berries found on our Ashe juniper have begun to ripen and, depending on the tree, will continue to do so between now and January, we thought it timely to ask Plateau co-founder Beyrl Armstrong how he uses our local juniper berries. Why ask him? Beyrl was raised in Hawaii and Indonesia and, in previous incarnations, has worked as shrimper, a sailboat captain, restaurant manager, and hatter's helper. He has also traveled around the world and sailed across the Gulf of Mexico seven times. With that sort of life we figured he would have a thought or two on juniper berries.

We were right!

According to Beyrl, he collects the berries when they are plump and ripe (the juice will be sweet to the taste when the fruit is squeezed). He spreads the berries on a cookie sheet so they aren't touching, and dries them in a gas oven by pilot light heat which typically takes a couple of days. He has successfully stored them for years in a sealed bottle kept in his spice cabinet. He crushes or grinds them in a pepper mill (used only for juniper berries) and puts them his venison marinade. He also uses them to flavor German style pork pot roast and German sweet cabbage salad (along with caraway seed). Beyrl notes that if you have heard tasted a martini, then you have tasted juniper berries. One of the principle flavoring agents (called botanicals) of gin is juniper. The word "gin" comes from the Dutch word Jenever or the French word Genievre, depending on who you believe. Beyrl also notes that the tender fresh ends of juniper branches (leaf on) are used to flavor pickled fish and for smoking oily fish such as salmon.

Article photo: A “spice tree” in our own backyard. Photo of Ashe juniper berries by Micah McCain via DSBabble.com.