Blueberry Vinegar

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I am going to attempt some canning this summer.  I am using a cookbook titled Put 'em Up by Sherri Brooks Vinton.  


This book has given me a lot of ideas for what to do with vegetables and fruits I normally have no idea what to do with.


The week before last I made some pickled beets with cumin and cloves.  I did not have cumin seed and cloves, so although the author encourages no substitution, I hoped my substitutions were okay.  I used cumin powder and ground cloves instead.  My husband was very pleased with the results and they stay in the fridge for 3 weeks.  


Yesterday I made two special errands.  The first was to pick fresh blueberries.  The second was to pick up canning supplies at a Mennonite store near the blueberry farm.  The blueberries were easy to pick and thankfully there were plenty left.  My luck at the other store was good, but I didn't find everything I needed.  Some of the recipes in this cookbook require Pomona Universal Pectin.  The store carried several types of pectin, but not Pomona.  I have found it online, but you have to buy a larger quantity at one time and pay for shipping.  I have read on several websites that it is a good pectin to work with.  But since it isn't readily accessible here, I've decided to stick with the recipes from this cookbook that do not require the pectin.  


Today I made some blueberry vinegar.  It was a very simple recipe.  I put the vinegar and blueberries in the blender and blended them until they seemed, well, blended.  I am supposed to shake the container once a day for the next 5 to 7 days, strain out the solids, and then it should keep for a year.  


I'll let you know how it turns out!  So far, I like this cookbook.  It has a wide variety of recipes and does include many jam recipes that don't require pectin--they are longer cooking recipes rather than quick cook jams and jellies.