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

[Hattie the Hen]

Hi there!

I thought you might be interested in this recipe. I have made similar cordials & found they are very good -- especially for sore throats:

http://www.eatweeds.co.uk/elderberry-cordial-syrup

This UK site is fascinating & has lots of recipes for using wild foods -- remember measurements will be British ones!


:rose Hattie :rose

 

[PunkinPeep]

I don't know what an elderberry is, but that sounds good! Does it taste as good as it sounds?

 

[Greensage45]

I bet you have wild Elderberry where you are Beth!

Oh wow...that don't make sense? Everywhere but Texas!

Oh I see, this one is called Red Elderberry

here is European Black Elderberry

Rocky Mountain Elder

Ahhhh...here is one called American Black Elderberry

and the Blue Elderberry also known as Mexican Elder

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Hi there PunkinPeep

They have to be cooked with lots of sugar or honey to make them palatable......!! Take a look at these sites as they have lots of photos

Where I live in the UK I live surrounded by Sambucus nigra, which is the common wild species here. But there are lots of others in the Us which are very similar.

Maybe there are some around your area.

http://www.antioxidant-fruits.com/picture-elderberry.html

http://www.all-creatures.org/pica/ftshl-elderberry.html


:rose Hattie :rose

 

[PunkinPeep]

Well, the Texas counties are sparse, but mine is happily included. It's a beautiful plant. I'll have to see if someone nearby has one. I know i haven't seen any here. How exciting!

 

[digitS']

You know, they make awfully good wine, too .

About the best in all my efforts to make a non-grape wine . . . and it was a real simple recipe. I wouldn't boil the berries first but that syrup recipe would be a step in that direction.

The elder blossoms can also be used for wine, as I understand it. It is interesting that the stems are toxic.

There is a very large elderberry growing on a forested hillside just a few yards from one of my gardens. However, this "tree" is in so much shade it makes very few berries. Another large bush that I drive past almost daily in the fruiting season is so exposed that the berries shrivel and do not develop properly. These 2 plants are a source of "consternation" to me and that's about it.

I really should vary my patterns of movement during mid-summer so that I could harvest a 5 gallon bucket of the berries and get with the elderberry wine making program !!

Steve

edited to say: "I" wouldn't boil the berries first.

 

[digitS']

There's a recipe for "dried" elderberry and raisin wine on this San Antonio winemakers website: *San Antonio Regional Wine Guild* Scroll down near the bottom of the page to find the recipe. It didn't win but there's evidence that Texans are making use of elderberries - albeit, dried.

I suppose I could buy elderberries . . . . .

Interesting that Jack Keller was in this competition. I knew that he was in Texas but that's about it. Jack has one of the most extensive wine making websites around .

Steve

 

[Hattie the Hen]

I have made elderberry wine a long time ago & it was very good ---------eventually..!! Actually about 5 years after I made it!
In medieval times they used to add elderberries to red wine grapes in France so it was stronger & kept better when exported to England.

Elderflower champagne is also worth trying but can be a bit dangerous as it is very explosive -- you need the right type of bottle & fastening otherwise you will be covered in the stuff.
I suggest always opening the bottles outside....................!! and keeping a towel handy!


:rose Hattie :rose

 

[HiDelight]

our woods are chuck full elderberries ..I have yet to pick any the birds love them too!

they are so pretty to watch turn each year from the bright bright red to that deep purple above

 

[Rosalind]

I make elderflower mead, and it is awesome. Next year when they are in season I'm going to try making an elderflower-flavored jellyroll filled with strawberry cream. Don't like the berries so much, but the flowers taste great. I cheat and get the syrup pre-made from Ikea sometimes though.