Pickled Bramble Tips is a traditional British recipe for a pickle of bramble shoot pieces preserved in vinegar with garlic. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Pickled Bramble Tips.
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I first came across these under the name 'star capers' when I was looking to see if there were any other uses for brambles apart from eating the fruit (blackberries) and flowers. Now, I often add the young leaves of blackberry plants (when the spines have not fully developed) in early spring salads or as additions to mixed greens for use in saag and West African style dishes. I thought that bramble tips were probably edible and out of curiosity I picked some young ones, stripped off the leaves and spines and started chewing. They weren't bad and what surprised me was a mild coconut flavour rather than the blackberry flavour I expected. A little googling later and I found out that bramble tips could be used in stir-fries, as asparagus substitutes and they could be pickled, candied and preserved in syrup.
Ingredients:
4 fresh bramble shoots, with the spikes scraped off and finely chopped
White wine vinegar
4 wild garlic bulbs (or 2 cloves of garlic)
Method:
Remove the leaves from the bramble (blackberry) shoots then rub off or trim off the prickles. Cut the stems into 1cm lengths.
Set aside in a cool, dark, place to mature for 3 weeks then open and enjoy. Store the jar in the refrigerator after opening.
