Elderberry Jelly
If you are of a certain age, your primary, and perhaps only, reference to elderberries is likely an Elton John song, a scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, or if older perhaps a Cary Grant film.
So it was much to my surprise to learn that elderberries grow wild all along the American River, less than half a mile from my home.
We moved to Sacramento when I was nine; I have spent countless summers catching minnows and picking blackberries at the river.
I can’t believe these elderberries have been there the whole time, right in front of me!
Picking them can be a challenge, given the star thistles that poke through your jeans, constant vigilance for ticks (I really don’t like those) and rattlesnakes (have had a couple close encounters with those at the river).
The good news is that there are plenty of elderberry shrubs right alongside various paths and trails around the river, so you don’t have to do much bushwhacking to get to them.
In most parts of the country they ripen in late summer; here in Sacramento they begin to ripen in early July and then new clusters ripen all summer.
One of the many elderberry shrubs growing along the American River
If you do go picking, wear long sleeve shirt, a hat, and jeans. Make sure you bring a plastic bag, otherwise juice from the fragile berries that will invariably get crushed will seep through and stain your clothes. Bring clippers.
In Northern California, the variety of elderberry we get here often has a white blush covering the ripe blue/black berries. You’ll want to cut the cluster from its base. Do not process the leaves or stems, as they may contain problematic alkaloids.
The truly time consuming part of processing elderberries is the stripping of the berries from their stems, after they’ve been thoroughly rinsed.
It took me about 10 minutes to pick 4 pounds of berries on my last foray, and about 1 1/2 hours to de-stem them.
So, what do they taste like? A lot like blackberries, though they do have a distinctive flavor, and unless very ripe, they are a bit tart.
They make a jelly much like concord grape jelly, though not as cloying, and absolutely delicious. I’ve been making peanut butter elderberry jelly sandwiches for lunch for all week long.
What follows is a recipe for the jelly, but you can also make elderberry syrup by making juice, adding sugar, and boiling it down, or elderberry liqueur. Or you can make wine from the berries.
I’ve taken plain elderberries, sprinkled sugar on them, and added them to my breakfast cereal like blueberries. According to some studies, elderberries are naturally anti-viral, so the syrup or jelly is good to eat when you are trying to recover from a cold or flu.
Elderberry Jelly Recipe
Do not double this recipe. Make one batch at a time.
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs ripe elderberries
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 packet MCP or SureJell pectin*
- 4 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon butter
*If using a different brand of pectin, follow ratios on package instructions for making blackberry jelly.
0 Comments