Can I do anything with squashed and fermented blackberries?

[DianeS]

I'm thinking not, but thought I'd ask anyway. I hate throwing things out if they can be used.

I had a gallon bag of blackberries picked from my grandparents' garden. On the way home they got smushed pretty badly. I thought they'd still be good for blackberry shortcake, so I put them in the fridge... or so I thought. I found them on the back of the counter today, with the plastic bag puffed full of air and little bubbles in the juice.

So, is there anything I can do with them besides add them to the compost pile?

 

[freemotion]

Sounds like you could have blackberry wine happening....sniff test! At the very least, you may get some nice vinegar out of it.

 

[Wifezilla]

Agreed. Sprinkle some wine yeast on it

 

[DianeS]

Hmmmm I just looked up how to make blackberry wine, and it doesn't look hard. I think I'll try it. If it doesn't work it can still go in the compost so I haven't lost anything. Thanks for the idea!

 

[freemotion]

If the berries were unwashed, there is probably enough naturally occurring yeast....

 

[~gd]

If the berries were unwashed, there is probably enough naturally occurring yeast....

Note she said the bag was full of air (more likely CO2) and bubbles in the liquid, sounds like yeast to me. If she wants to get max wine the berries should be crushed to release more of the juice and once fermentation has slowed or stopped she should decant the wine off the seeds/pulp/dead yeast into bottles (only loosely corked or screw caps not screwed down tight) to allow for further gas pressure excape.~gd

 

[freemotion]

It could probably stand a little more sugar, too, as in an equal (or less) amount of water with sugar boiled to dissolve and sterilize. Cool before adding. Burp the bag, too, without letting air in, or rack it to a sterilized bottle with and airlock or balloon.....or keep going with the bag if you want to. You might want to put it into a mixing bowl in case the bag lets go, though.

Sandor Katz has a description of prison hootch in his book Wild Fermentation. The ex-con who is describing the process used sugar, juice, canned fruit cocktail, anything sweet they could save up, and used garbage bags to make it in. They would take turns staying up all night to burp it every half hour when it was really working, letting the gasses out carefully. Primitive, but interesting. You are making hootch!

I loves a good 'speriment!

 

[kcsunshine]

Now, when and where is the wine-tasting party?