Where to buy fresh juniper berries

tim.culhane

Hi,

I'm looking for juniper berries in the Dubline area. I've found dried ones in Nolans in Clontarf, but I need fresh berries. Anybody know if its possible to get them?

Minder

I've never seen fresh juniper berries, what are you using them for?

tim.culhane

Hi,

they are listed as an ingredient for a recipe I'm trying. You can find it at:

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/pork-sausages-braised-in-cider-with-apples-and-juniper,1147,RC.html

The Junipers are crushed before adding them, which seems to suggest they are fresh and not dried ... though the recipe does not explicitly say they are fresh.

I've seen elsewhere on boards.ie that they are available in M&S and Tesco, but I'm not sure if these are the dried or fresh versions?

Tim

Alun

tim.culhane wrote: »

The Junipers are crushed before adding them, which seems to suggest they are fresh and not dried ... though the recipe does not explicitly say they are fresh.

Usually with recipes involving juniper berries (I've only ever seen dried ones for sale) you're supposed to crush them ever so lightly, just to crack them open really and allow the flavours to be released, not completely crush them to bits, so I reckon dried ones will be just fine for that recipe.

Magic Monkey

As Alun said, dried are just fine. In many other braised dishes, mostly German, as they're big into using juniper berries, the berries are always dried. Haven't seen them in Tesco, but the dried ones are available in M&S.

neuro-praxis

Just to add a useless bit of info to this conversation, I think juniper berries taste foul and all dishes that call for them are better for leaving them out!

Minder

tim.culhane wrote: »

Hi,

they are listed as an ingredient for a recipe I'm trying. You can find it at:

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/pork-sausages-braised-in-cider-with-apples-and-juniper,1147,RC.html

The Junipers are crushed before adding them, which seems to suggest they are fresh and not dried ... though the recipe does not explicitly say they are fresh.

I've seen elsewhere on boards.ie that they are available in M&S and Tesco, but I'm not sure if these are the dried or fresh versions?

Tim

I think Delia is referring to the dried type - the info behind the ingredients panel seems to suggest they're dried. Give it a go with dried and bash them a bit to crack the skins and bruise the berries a bit. The only time I ever seen fresh juniper berries was in a Monty Python film:D

Minder

neuro-praxis wrote: »

Just to add a useless bit of info to this conversation, I think juniper berries taste foul and all dishes that call for them are better for leaving them out!

Typically included in game dishes, I like the flavour they give a dish, but I don't eat the berries - biting one gives a jarring burst of flavour a bit like finding a green cardamon in a curry.

Alun

You could try putting them in a little muslin bag like a bouquet garni I suppose.