Juniper Berry Flavor Newsletter
An unfussy dressing for roasted veggies and winter salads
The Recipe
I didn’t plan on writing about juniper this week, but on Tuesday I was roused from a deep sleep by the words “juniper dressing” taking root in my head (tell me I’m not the only one who dreams about conifers?). I’ve written a recipe that’s a lot more flexible than I usually publish: it’s a bare bones dressing that really commits to tasting juniper in every bite. I give lots of swaps and ideas in the recipe notes; let me know if you like this style of recipe. Sheet Pan Veggies with Juniper Dressing.
Juniper Berries
Before the botanists come for me: no, juniper berries are not true berries. They’re more like a tiny pine cone with tender, merged scales that give them a berry-like appearance. Add them to the list of pine cones foragers love to eat. They’re the primary flavoring agent in gin, but if you’re not a fan of Beefeater and Tanqueray, don’t let that stop you from experimenting with them in your cooking. To me, they’re one of the most underrated culinary spices, too often relegated solely to cocktails or wild game. Juniper berries taste like citrus peels, pine needles, and a well toasted sunflower seed. When you bite into them, their flavor coats your mouth in a botanical woody haze, then mellows into fruitiness and spice. I use them in the place of several aromatic spices like cardamom, coriander, and white pepper.
If you don’t usually check out the references and resources at the bottom of these newsletters, I want to draw your attention to a video from the the Native Memory Project, where Navajo geobotanist Arnold Clifford shares some of the cultural and culinary significance of Juniper in specific Indigenous communities. The Fancy Navajo’s Blue Corn Mush is a great example of the use of juniper culinary ash, and Sean Sherman’s Maple-Juniper Roast Pheasant is just one use of the spice in his James Beard Award winning cookbook, The Sioux Chef. If you’re looking for something easy to experiment with the flavor for the first time, try Miche Genest’s Juniper Aioli or this Juniper Dressing.
Find the Flavor
Find Juniper Berries
✓ Wild throughout the United States
✓ Whole juniper berries from individual foragers on Foraged
✓ Online & in major grocery stores (there are many brands, like Morton & Basset and Frontier Co-op)
Find Juniper Products
✓ Juniper Vinegar from Lindera Farms
✓ Rock Barren Bitters (Cranberry-Juniper) from Wild Muskoka Botanicals
✓ Juniper Culinary Ash from RimalapothecaryStore
✓ Gin ;)
References & Resources
Native Memory Project: Juniper
Cultural Uses of Pinyon and Juniper Forests
Outdoor Apothecary: Juniper Berry Identification
University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Common Juniper
I want to hear from everyone - have you cooked with Juniper Berries before? Any thoughts on the recipe? What ingredients do you want to hear about next?