Interesting ways for using fresh goji berries?

A kind elderly lady who has a Goji plant in her yard has been gifting me with the fresh berries from it almost every week. I would greatly appreciate interesting ideas on how to enjoy them fresh and recipes I could incorporate them into. Thanks, everyone!

Droplet
  • Posted by: Droplet
  • July 27, 2017
  • 18204 views
  • 6 Comments

6 Comments

Bill R. September 2, 2018
I think of my fresh-picked goji berries as little tomatoes and use them in salads, soups, pasta sauce, smoothies, and also in power bars and muffins. I don't need a recipe, just want to use them up and get that super nutrition. I was amazed at how easy they are to grow from a small bush I got at a garden center three years ago, now I have several large bushes. Here in Southern New Jersey the little lavender flowers bloom in August and I harvest the red berries all during September. It is interesting that people have different taste experiences with goji berries: Some say they taste like tomatoes, some say they taste like cherries, some say cranberries or raisins!
 
Amy August 25, 2017
Hello, my parents have a goji berry bush in their yard and we are always trying to think of ways to use them because there are just so many! Usually my mom ends up just freezing a bunch and adds them to smoothies, but recently she tried making a pepper and goji berry jelly and she absolutley loved it. Here is the recipie if you'd like to try it http://gojoy.ca/recipes/hot-goji-berry-pepper-recipe/
Also, just yesterday I was making a blackberry pie and had some left over crust and decided to try making a small goji berry pie to see if it would be good. I couldn't find a recipe that called for only goji berries (that's how I came across your question) so I decided to just alter my go-to berry pie recipe. This is what I used:
1 Cup fresh goji berries
1/4 Cup sugar
1/8 Cup flour
1 tbls lemon juice
just mix all the ingredients together and put them in your favourite pie crust and bake. My dad thought it was a bit too sweet but my mom liked it the way it was. If you want a bit more texture she thought adding some oats might be nice, but that would be a preference thing. If you want to make a full size pie just multiplying the measurments by 4 should work(4 C goji, 1 C sugar, 1/2 C flour, 4 tbls lemon juice). Also, most recipies a came across mixed the gojis with either blueberries, apples or peaches, so you could always add some of those if you have them. Enjoy!
 
Droplet August 27, 2017
Thanks you so much for the wonderful ideas, Amy! A very prolific plant indeed. I have also frozen several plastic containers with the berries, and they work great in smoothies right from the freezer (though I find them to quickly darken if allowed to thaw). That jelly that you linked too is exactly what I had in mind, so thank you. I seem to visually associate the goji berries with the tiny pequin peppers, and kept trying to somehow incorporate them into a savory recipe. Also, I make a blueberry-kiwi jam every fall, and will definitely make a batch with goji berries in it this year. I found them to also be a very nice garnish to a mushroom risotto, quick-pickled beforehand. Have you tried drying them yourself? I wonder if they would darken over time or retain their color. I will post if I get any new interesting flavor combinations, as I am sure the bounty will continue next year too.
 
Droplet August 2, 2017
That's OK, Lindsey. It is a rather unusual ingredient fresh, as opposed to the widely available dried ones. I decided to quick-pickle this week's batch with some ACV, sugar, salt and a clove of sliced garlic. I used them in a nice bean salad. Still open for ideas for next week :)
 
Lindsay-Jean H. August 2, 2017
Well, I'm glad you figured out one good use for them -- pickled berries in a bean salad sounds fantastic!
 
Lindsay-Jean H. August 2, 2017
I'm sorry you didn't get any answers to this yet Droplet! I'm bumping it back up to the top in hopes of getting more eyes on it.
 
Recommended by Food52