Elderberry recipes please

Leopardlady

Hi all, i picked a load of elderberries yesterday while my husband picked loads of blackberries:T. Now i have no idea what to do with the elderberries.

Any suggestions gratefully received.
Thanks


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Seakay

1 quart (ie 2 pints) ripe elderberries, off the stalk
half pint vinegar (any type)
1 teaspoon salt
4 shallots chopped very fine (I use 1 medium onion)
6 cloves
20 black peppercorns
2 inches of root ginger

Put the berries in an ovenproof dish (pyrex is good as no danger of staining) with the vinegar and cook for 30 minutes at the bottom of a warm oven (250F,121C, gas mark half) then turn oven off and leave overnight.
Strain off the juice into a pan, add all the other ingredients and boil for 10 minutes, then strain through a sieve and bottle.

This is a flavouring sauce, in the style of Worcestershire Sauce, and can be used at once although it does improve with age and will keep for years.

Eliza Acton suggests that it is good with fish, and it is also nice added to a pan of frying liver.

Seakay

You can substitute half the weight of blackberries with elderberries in any blackberry jam recipe to make blackberry and elderberry jam.

Seakay

See post 3032 on this thread for a recipe for elderberry cordial:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1007423&page=152

dragonsue

I take as many as I can get, wash them leaving them on the stalk and boil them up with enough water to wet the bottom of the pan. The berries burst and are then easily strained. I then add sugar to taste and bottle.
It stores well in the fridge for a year, and I always replace it.
When a cough hits one of the family I then give them a table spoon of the juice, either in hot water or neat depending on that members tastes.
My Grandmother gave me this one.
Of course if a cough is persistent you should ALWAYS see a doctor.

Pink.

Hi Leopardlady,

There are lots of recipes on this thread that may help:

What to do with elderberries?

Pink

nuttyrockeress

Mmm, elderberry wine!!

hmkn

use with apple (or blackberries) in pies, crumbles etc

HMK

jacky_horn

Nine years ago, I made elderberry wine. We tried it after 6 months. It was disgusting. So bad my daughter made skull and crossbones labels for it. We dumped it in the loft where it was boiled every summer and froze every winter for 9 years. We had a clear out a month ago and were going to finally chuck it. Fortunately we opened a bottle to remember how bad it was. It was fantastically amazing!!!! Like proper bought wine despite its terrible storage. Best thing is - we have over 20 bottles. Had 3 so far and they are soooooooooo beautiful.:rotfl:

jomknight

ELDERBERRY JELLY - 4lb elderberries after you've removed them from the stalk with a fork (doesn't matter about very little bits)1 pint water Juice large lemon or 60ml (2 fl oz) from bottle of pure lemon juice.
or ELDERBERRY & APPLE JELLY 1.5 lb cooking apples 1.5lb elderberries 60ml lemon 1pint water.
Method If using apples cut up, but do not peel or core, enough to make up the weight e.g. if using windfalls use the good bits only putting them straight into some water and extra lemon to save going brown. Put into the measured water & Simmer gently about 10 minutes until very soft. Add the elderberries or just start with elderberries if not using apples and cook all until soft. Fix up a jelly bag ( bought or made of muslin) and strain through without squeezing the bag. leave at least an hour and preferable overnight to get the last drop.
Measure liquid into a preserving pan to each pint add 1lb WARMED granulated or jam sugar ( Silver Spoon Jam Sugar is a good buy at present) and juice of large lemon. Boil rapidly until setting point is reached. Pour into hot jars - smaller ones rather than 1lb size. If not using apples the sugar per pint can be 12oz plus lemon. Delicious as a jam, with ice cream or with lamb. Straining can be messy. I sometimes do it outside!

Adam_Kadmon

I made Pontiac (Pontac's?) Sauce last year - it's supposed to best after 7 years but it barely lasted past January. It was great, you could use it instead of worchestershire sauce but it also gave a richness to casseroles and stews, especially game. I'll be making it again this year.

I made a jam the year before with all of the wild fruit that were ripe at the same time along the Water of Leith - brambles, elderberries and some wild plums and cherries. It was damn good too!

So this year, I definitely want to make elderberry wine - I'll keep yous posted, if you're interested. Pontiak sauce too, if I can get enough. As for the jam - most of the brambles up here have got botrytis because of the wet summer, so jam seems unlikely. But you never know.