Do you ever cook with juniper berries? I was recently snooping on the internet and found a recipe for sage and juniper venison sausage on Hank Shaw’s website “Hunter Angler Gardener Cook.”
Juniper berries have a flavor that has been described as piney, peppery, and fruity. They are occasionally used in some European and Scandinavian recipes, as well in some for wild game such as venison, waterfowl, and pheasant. They are not widely available in grocery stores. However, some of the larger stores, and those catering to the gourmand may stock them.
Junipers of course are conifers, and it is the female cones that are so conspicuous in the group. Junipers are rather unusual in that unlike the woody female cones of pine trees, the female cones of junipers are fleshy. They are about a quarter of an inch in diameter, and as they mature turn from green to blue, thus the misnomer berry.
Juniper berries may be purchased from a variety of sources, but if you are thinking of just heading out to the nearest juniper and gathering your own juniper berries, you might want to reconsider. Not all juniper berries are suitable for cooking, and some can be quite bitter or even toxic.
The commercially available juniper berries come from dwarf juniper, sometimes known as common juniper (Juniperus communis). Its native to much of Canada, some of the border states and Rockies, as well as northern Eurasia. However, the species has been widely planted, and now may be found across much of the United States.
Dwarf juniper may be found here in North Dakota, particularly southwest of the Missouri River. It is also documented in some other counties adjacent to the Missouri River in the west as well as the Pembina Hills. We also have creeping juniper (Juniperus horizontalis), Rocky Mountain red cedar (Juniperus scopulorum), and red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) which is not native but has been planted as an ornamental.
It can be a bit difficult to tell some of these species apart, so simply picking some wild juniper berries may not give you the intended result. The utility of our junipers is a bit conflicted. Some sources state that all our species edible but may vary considerably in taste and bitterness. So it is probably best to just buy some juniper berries for cooking.
Consider finding a recipe that calls for this interesting North Dakota native. Maybe Chef Rosie could even be convinced to do a spot about juniper berries on Main Street.
Chuck Lura
Natural North Dakota is supported by NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center and Dakota College at Bottineau, and by the members of Prairie Public. Thanks to Sunny 101.9 in Bottineau for their recording services.
