Well, what a surprise for me, to be asking for some help -- not
because I don't need the knowledge that you folks have, but because I
really didn't expect to have anything *to* preserve (at least not this
year). Anyway, my husband and I were out for a long drive in the
country this afternoon and came across some folks giving away their
excess elderberries -- we've got some 4-5 *kilos* of elderberries,
picked this morning and maybe a dozen windfall apples (I'm told it's
traditional here in Denmark to add apples to help balance the
sweetness/acid/flavor of the elderberries).

Well, I'm flummoxed. I've got a few recipes, but nothing that really
excites me -- I'll probably make some "cooked juice" and put that away
in the fridge (one kilo of berries equals about 1.25 liters of juice,
according to this recipe); and an interesting recipe for "Prince of
Wales Ketchup," which uses elderberry vinegar (and also needs to be
refrigerated, which is a whole 'nother can of worms); and a quite
simple recipe for elderberry syrup (which, again, needs to be
refrigerated).

Any other thoughts and/or suggestions for a preserving newbie who
doesn't have access to "familiar" (read: American) canning/preserving
products? What I consider to be traditional canning jars/lids are
virtually unknown here; I mostly see glass jars with glass lids ... a
rubber seal fits around the lid and there's an m-shaped metal bracket
that clips them together (this is far less complicated than the wire
bale thing on "french" canning jars) -- I even have a few of them, but
I'm not at all sure how really effective (safe) they are and I'm
slightly paranoid at the idea of poisoning friends and relations when
sharing out anything I've preserved.

Many thanks in advance.
-j

jacqui{JB} wrote:

Well, I'm flummoxed. I've got a few recipes, but nothing that really
excites me -- I'll probably make some "cooked juice" and put that away
in the fridge (one kilo of berries equals about 1.25 liters of juice,
according to this recipe); and an interesting recipe for "Prince of
Wales Ketchup," which uses elderberry vinegar (and also needs to be
refrigerated, which is a whole 'nother can of worms); and a quite
simple recipe for elderberry syrup (which, again, needs to be
refrigerated).

Any other thoughts and/or suggestions for a preserving newbie who
doesn't have access to "familiar" (read: American) canning/preserving
products? What I consider to be traditional canning jars/lids are
virtually unknown here; I mostly see glass jars with glass lids ... a
rubber seal fits around the lid and there's an m-shaped metal bracket
that clips them together (this is far less complicated than the wire
bale thing on "french" canning jars) -- I even have a few of them, but
I'm not at all sure how really effective (safe) they are

they are. In Germany it is called a Weck glass. Preserving in these glasses
in a water bath canning pot is the traditional way fruit / juices and such
are being preserved for over a hundred years. Just make sure everything is
clean, has sufficient acidity and is BWBed long enough.

As for elderberries, jam, juice, syrup come to mind as well as 'hollermus',
a bavarian specialty made of elderberries, pears and zwetschgen (a kind of
violet plum). It is halfway between a jam and a fruit butter - with added
sugar & pectin. But mostly I'd make elderberry juice and preserve it for
alcohol-free punch. Quite common over here is blackberry & elderberry jam.
And elderberry chutney works well, too.

HTH,

Petra in Hamburg, Germany
200 miles from Denmark

elderberry wine - has to age 3 years although some claim only 1.5 years.
popularity of elderberry wine in England lead it it being called "English
grape"

jelly or jam - I get medium pectin reading so add apple to raise pectin
level.

elderberry pie made from fresh or reconstituted dried elderberries. spread
elderberries on newspaper for 2-3 weeks to dry, then put in jar. I keep
dried elderberries in old plastic peanut butter jars. dried berries can be
eaten by themseves as snack food.

frozen elderberries. I like to scatter some on top of apple crisp for a
bit of a tart taste, like adding rhubarb. probaly also use for pie filling.



--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
William R Watt National Capital FreeNet Ottawa's free community network
homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm
warning: non-FreeNet email must have "notspam" in subject or it's returned

Don't forget wine! the ancient and probably first practical method of
preserving!
The first wine I ever made was from elderberries I collected from along the
roadsides here in northern Indiana. I followed the recipe in a tiny booklet
on winemaking, but I didn't "de-stem" the elderberries because of the
overwheming amount of work it would take.
I made 22 -750ml bottles of the stuff. I tasted one after three months of
fermentation, settling, and absolute minimal aging. IT WAS TERRIBLE! I
left the other 21 bottles in the basement, moved two times to other houses
but kept taking the bottles with me (I wanted to keep the bottles for future
use and was too lazy to empty them). One evening, about four years later, I
came home late from work to a dinner prepared for some old friends of ours.
To keep them happy while waiting for me, my wife served them some wine:
"Where did you get the wine?" I asked.
"From one of those old bottles in the basement," she said.
"OH, MY GOD! They've been POISONED!" I yelled, almost loud enough for them
to hear.
"I thought it tasted pretty good," she countered.
I took a sip while I was in the kitchen and out of sight of our company. It
was amazing! After all these years of wine making and tasting, that
elderberry wine was the best wine ever! It had become so smooth and tasty
(about 16% alcohol according to the hydrometer) and, oh, so pretty -- a deep
red wine color, and crystal clear. All it took was a little aging.
I carefully gathered the remaining 20 bottles, cleaned them and labeled
them, and put them in my special wine rack. Some months later I found all
but one of them gone -- my wife had been giving them away to friends and
company and whoever showed up at the door and looked like they might
appreciate a little wine gift!
I no longer have the recipe, but it was a simple, traditionally basic, wine
recipe that let Nature have its way. Of course, I used a commercially
prepared yeast, instead of letting my foul basement provide some random
one -- but it's all in the books.
Anyway, that's what I would do with my elderberries. Jam? phooey!



"jacqui{JB}" wrote in message
...
Well, what a surprise for me, to be asking for some help -- not
because I don't need the knowledge that you folks have, but because I
really didn't expect to have anything *to* preserve (at least not this
year). Anyway, my husband and I were out for a long drive in the
country this afternoon and came across some folks giving away their
excess elderberries -- we've got some 4-5 *kilos* of elderberries,
picked this morning and maybe a dozen windfall apples (I'm told it's
traditional here in Denmark to add apples to help balance the
sweetness/acid/flavor of the elderberries).

Well, I'm flummoxed. I've got a few recipes, but nothing that really
excites me -- I'll probably make some "cooked juice" and put that away
in the fridge (one kilo of berries equals about 1.25 liters of juice,
according to this recipe); and an interesting recipe for "Prince of
Wales Ketchup," which uses elderberry vinegar (and also needs to be
refrigerated, which is a whole 'nother can of worms); and a quite
simple recipe for elderberry syrup (which, again, needs to be
refrigerated).

Any other thoughts and/or suggestions for a preserving newbie who
doesn't have access to "familiar" (read: American) canning/preserving
products? What I consider to be traditional canning jars/lids are
virtually unknown here; I mostly see glass jars with glass lids ... a
rubber seal fits around the lid and there's an m-shaped metal bracket
that clips them together (this is far less complicated than the wire
bale thing on "french" canning jars) -- I even have a few of them, but
I'm not at all sure how really effective (safe) they are and I'm
slightly paranoid at the idea of poisoning friends and relations when
sharing out anything I've preserved.

Many thanks in advance.
-j

In article Ags8d.203104$3l3.178105@attbi_s03, "Jark"
wrote:
red wine color, and crystal clear. All it took was a little aging.
I carefully gathered the remaining 20 bottles, cleaned them and
labeled them, and put them in my special wine rack. Some months
later I found all but one of them gone -- my wife had been giving
them away to friends and company and whoever showed up at the door
and looked like they might appreciate a little wine gift!

She get anything in the divorce settlement?
--
-Barb, www.jamlady.eboard.com Updated 9-22-04; Fairs Fare tab.
"Peace will come when the power of love overcomes the love of power."
-Jimi Hendrix, and Lt. Joe Corcoran, Retired; St. Paul PD, Homicide Divn.

Everything but that last bottle....
I am sooo happy....!




"Melba's Jammin'" wrote in message
...
In article Ags8d.203104$3l3.178105@attbi_s03, "Jark"
wrote:
red wine color, and crystal clear. All it took was a little aging.
I carefully gathered the remaining 20 bottles, cleaned them and
labeled them, and put them in my special wine rack. Some months
later I found all but one of them gone -- my wife had been giving
them away to friends and company and whoever showed up at the door
and looked like they might appreciate a little wine gift!

She get anything in the divorce settlement?
--
-Barb, www.jamlady.eboard.com Updated 9-22-04; Fairs Fare tab.
"Peace will come when the power of love overcomes the love of power."
-Jimi Hendrix, and Lt. Joe Corcoran, Retired; St. Paul PD, Homicide Divn.

"Jark" ) writes:

I no longer have the recipe, but it was a simple, traditionally basic, wine
recipe that let Nature have its way. Of course, I used a commercially
prepared yeast, instead of letting my foul basement provide some random
one -- but it's all in the books.

3 lb elderberries, 3 lb sugar, 1 gal water, 1 oz yeast
I use ordinary dry bread yeast.

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
William R Watt National Capital FreeNet Ottawa's free community network
homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm
warning: non-FreeNet email must have "notspam" in subject or it's returned