ELDERBERRY CORDIAL SYRUP ~ Help against colds etc. this winter!!

[4grandbabies]

We have wild elderberries growing abundantly around here. Tho, the counties are now spraying the roadsides, so cant pick there . I have a friend that makes jelly from them every year.
Just got my Pine tree garden seed catalog for 2010 yesterday, and they are listed on page 85. ..so if all else fails, you can always plant them.
Tip. My friend says she ties large bundles of them together, ties the string to the handles of her cooking pot, and puts them in "head" down in some water, and cooks them that way, rather than to tediously "pick " those little berries off to cook....humm did not know about the stems, so guess you would have to be careful.I have not tried that, so cant say how it works.

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Rosalind it would be great if you could share your recipe for elderflower mead with us. It sounds great!


:rose Hattie :rose

 

[Rosalind]

Elderflower mead:

1 small packet of yeast for semidry wine, or 1/4th of a prepared smack pack of Wyeast #4184. Directions for preparing a smack pack are on the side of the packet; measure out 1/4th of this into an extremely clean/sanitized cup.

5 lbs. honey, any kind you like, although a lighter honey (wildflower, clover, fruit blossom) is best for this recipe. I am a fan of buckwheat honey, just not for this recipe.

1 bottle (quart size I think?) elderberry flower syrup from Ikea. In the event that you wish to make your own, boil a friggin' bucket-ful of elder flowers in simple syrup (1:1 sugar:water syrup)--you'll have to boil, let cool a bit, strain, add more flowers, boil again, repeat until about a gallon of flower heads are used up. Easier to pay Ikea $4.

1 whole lemon, scrubbed very clean and sliced

4 teabags of strong black tea (optional)

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Run through the hot rinse cycle of the dishwasher: 1 gallon size glass jug (must be glass), 1 fermentation lock attached to a rubber bung w/ one hole that fits said jug, 1 funnel that fits into the top of the jug to make pouring easier. If you don't have a dishwasher, you'll have to rinse everything with the fancy sanitizing rinse stuff they have at the brew supply shop.

Boil in a big pot the honey, 2 quarts water (filtered tap water is fine), and the lemon. Teabags may also be added at this point if you like an oaky flavor to your wine, but it is entirely optional. Add another 2 c. of water, let boil 10 minutes or so, then cool to lukewarm with the lid on.

Pour into the glass jug. If the lemon slices end up in the jug, that is fine. Remove the teabags though. Pour in the elderflower syrup, give it a good swirl to mix, then pour in the yeast, prepared according to package directions. If you're using the dry yeast stuff, just dump it in. Fill to 4 inches of the top with filtered water, and attach the fermentation lock. Put a bit of water into the bubble of the fermentation lock, so you can observe the ferment. Do not fill all the way to the top or it WILL explode. You need a little air space to get the yeast started growing aerobically and multiplying, but not so much that they use all the sugar to make CO2 and formaldehyde. A little air, not a whole lot, and after they use that up they will start making alcohol for you.

Now comes the hard part: stick it in your basement and forget it exists for about three weeks. A large bucket or pan underneath the jug is a good idea, in case the ferment gets too enthusiastic and explodes, as it might in very warm weather. Fermentation will go best at 50-60 degrees F, or 12C, so a root cellar is a good place for it. It should bubble fairly quickly the first week, then slow down as time goes on.

After three weeks, rack the mead: Sanitize a clean jug and a 4' long piece of tubing. Aquarium tubing is fine, brew supply stores also sell a special racking tube you can use if you prefer. Put the tubing in the jug, and use any siphon mechanism you like to transfer the clear liquid to the new jug. Try to get mostly the clear liquid, avoid the brown gunk on the bottom--that's all dead yeast cells and will make the second ferment taste funny if they are left in there. Put the fermentation lock on the new jug, and let it go another three weeks. Fermentation should be very slow at this point.

When 3-4 weeks have passed, the mead is ready to bottle. 1 gallon works out to about 3 1/2 bottles.

 

[digitS']

Rosalind, how long before you can open that bottle and sample it ?

Steve

 

[journey11]

Cool recipe...thanks for sharing!
I love stuff like that. 'Round here everyone thinks I'm crazy because I eat dandelions. Rare to find one in my garden! Ha.

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Hi journey11

I am a huge fan of this UK site -- it is full of useful information & splendid recipes, plus more in-depth information if you need it.
I have learnt a lot from it -- give it a go....!!

:rose Hattie :rose