In autumn, the trees are laden with red jewels: hawthorn berries.
The edible berries have a bland and floury taste. But when prepared with cinnamon, cardamom and apple cider, they become a delicious sauce according to an English recipe inspired by gathervictoria.com. Like a delicious ketchup!
I have a tradition of making the sauce every fall.
Hawthorn has a special place in herbalism. We've written about hawthorn before, so read this post if you want a little more background on the berry . Once you've opened your eyes to the power of hawthorn, you'll probably want to go out and harvest it right away. But first and foremost, you should be sure that you're picking hawthorn berries. And not sea buckthorn. There's no risk of confusing sea buckthorn and hawthorn - it's just the name that's confusing. But there are other red berries that can be confused with hawthorn. So do your research first!
DO THIS:
- 8.5 dl hawthorn berries
- 1.4 dl apple cider vinegar
- 1.4 dl water
- 0.7 dl honey
- 0.7 dl apple cider
- pepper and a pinch of salt
- A little cardamom, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg.
Place the berries in a pan with vinegar and water. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 30 minutes until the skins of the berries start to break. If too much water boils away, add a little more.
Cool and strain through a sieve to remove seeds. Return the mixture to the pan, add honey, heat gently and stir in the pan. Add spices. Cook and simmer for another 5-10 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and add the apple cider, a little at a time. Mix until you get a consistency you are happy with. The sauce will thicken further as it cools.
Text and image: Sara Bonadea George
