It’s great to find a way of preserving a glut of gooseberries that doesn’t involve sugar. Dessert gooseberries are too sweet for this recipe, so save them for snacking and sweet dishes. You can also do this with just ripe blackcurrants (not fully ripe or they will burst), damsons and sloes to make a sort of tart olive replacement or alternative to preserved lemon. Dill is unexpectedly good with gooseberries. Eat these with oily fish on toast, alongside cheese or roast meat, toss them into grain salads, stir fries and bean dishes - anywhere that you want a clean sour kick.
1 tsp fennel seeds (or caraway seeds or dill seeds)
300g gooseberries
20g sea salt
5g sugar (optional, but sours the pickle more quickly)
500g filtered or mineral water
small bunch of fresh dill herb
2-3 blackcurrant, gooseberry or vine leaves (optional, helps keep things crisp) or a cabbage leaf.
a 1 litre preserving jar without rubber seal
1 beach stone or small glass jar to use as a follower
Wash your hands with soap and water and make sure everything is clean but not sanitised – particularly not with anything antibacterial. Wash your preserving jar in hot soapy water and rinse well with cold water. Put the seeds into the jar.
Wash the gooseberries in cold water and discard any that are soft. Make the brine by mixing the salt and sugar into the water and stir until it has dissolved. If your gooseberries are unripe, prick each berry a couple of times with a skewer or large needle, no need if they are ripe.
Pour the gooseberries and dill herb into the jar and cover with the leaves. Pour the brine over the gooseberries until they are completely submerged and the brine is at least 3cm above them. Wedge a weight on top of the leaves, making sure that everything is submerged.
Close up the jar and leave to ferment at room temperature (18-22ºC) for about 5-6 days. If you have a jar with a rubber seal then you will need to keep a beady eye on the pickle to make sure that you don’t get a build up of gas in the jar. after 48 hours, press on the rubber seal and if you hear any hissing, gently release the clip, but do not allow the jar to flip open. Bubbles will rise in the jar and you will release any excess pressure. Do this once a day for the next couple of days. With a screw cap jar, you might need to twist the lid of the jar a little to release gas after 2-3 days or if you hear hissing. After 3-4 days the gooseberries will start to look a duller yellowy colour and the brine will turn a little cloudy. Taste them after 5 days to see if they are mellow enough – the brine should taste sour, not just salty. If you like you can give them a few more days to sour fully. When they are ready, transfer to smaller jars making sure everything is submerged under the brine and refrigerate. Eat them within 3 months to enjoy them at their best, but they will be food safe for at least a year provided they are kept cool and under brine.