Elderberry Jelly

This article is fun for me to write and put out there on many levels. When I was a kid I used to help my Dad forage for elderberries to make jelly. I have not done that since I was a kid. The other reason my heart sings as I reflect and write this is the fact that MY son is doing the same. Willingly! By choice!

In fact, I had a phone conference a couple days ago and Gavin had disappeared for about 45 minutes. When he returned I asked where he had been and he held up a 5 gallon bucket heaping with elderberries. I taught him how to identify and harvest them last summer, 2013, and he had planned to make his own jelly but ran out of time so we froze the berries and we used them in smoothies. The inspiration must have struck him again this summer and he gave it another try. This time we have jelly!

Gavin spent a couple of hours removing the small berries from their stems with a fork. He then had a football game so we put them in the refrigerator for a couple days until Sunday rolled around. Sundays at our house usually include something with food. We are usually doing one of the following. Cooking bulk batches of food for the week, fishing, hunting, gathering herbs for food or medicine, canning, gardening, freezing food, the list goes on. So, here is how Gavin made his jelly!

INGREDIENTS

• 3 to 4 pounds of ripe purple elderberries (after de-stemming)
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 box of pectin or 1/3 cup pectin
• 4 1/2 cups organic unrefined cane sugar
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon butter

DIRECTIONS

Give your elderberries a quick rinse before taking them off the stems. Remove them from the stems either with a fork or your fingers. Some people advise freezing them first to get them off the stem but we have never had to do that.

For each batch of jelly collect 3 pounds of de-stemmed berries. Once they are de stemmed, rinse well again. Place berries in a large pot and smash with a potato masher to release some of the juices. Turn the heat to medium and continue to mash as the mixture heats up to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and let simmer for 10 minutes then remove from heat.

Place a sieve lined with cheesecloth over a large bowl. Transfer the mashed berries and juice into the cheesecloth/sieve and let drain for several hours. Once cooled give the cheesecloth some mighty squeezes to get every last drop of juice from the berries.

You will need 5 to 6 half pint canning jars with lids and seals. Wash and sanitize these while your juice is draining. You can also juice your lemons while your juice ins draining.

Once juice is fully drained and ready, measure out 3 cups. If you have some extra you can save it for syrup or save it to go toward another batch of jelly. If you are short by just a little bit, you can add water to bring your amount up to 3 cups. This is a good time to put your seals in a small pan and bring to a boil so they are ready when your jelly is ready.

In a large pot add your juice, pectin and lemon juice. Stir. Bring to a boil and add 4 & 1/2 cups sugar and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon butter. Stir again and bring to a boil. Watch the pot because the mixture foams up a lot. As soon as the mixture reaches a boil, start timing for two minutes. When time is up, remove from heat immediately and pour into your hot canning jars and wipe the rim with a cloth. Leave about 1/4 inch head-space in your jars. Place hot seals and rings on your jar tightly. Set aside on a cloth and let cool. As the jars of jelly cool the lids should begin popping as they seal! BEST. SOUND. EVER.

I had not tasted this jelly since I was a child and the taste brought back a flood of memories!

I’m so very proud of Gavin for having the desire and ambition to forage wild foods and keep such wonderful traditions alive! He got 6 half pints of jelly from all of his hard work and I don’t think he plans to share. And that’s ok because if I were making it, I would prefer to use honey instead of sugar! Either way, I am grateful!