Elderberry syrup

Foraging diaries # 13: Elderberries

Hello! Yes, I'm still alive!

September was a busy month. I managed to find time to cook a fair amount of recipes, specially preserves. What I didn't manage to find time for was to write them. Prepare to be bombarded with a dozen recipes in one go!

Elderberries are the fruit of the elder tree (Sambucus nigra). Remember the elderflowers I used in July to make cordial, jams and fritters? Yes, same tree. If you leave the flowers on the tree, they create fruit, berries.

I had been monitoring a tree on the farm where we buy milk from for a few weeks, waiting for the berries to be ripe enough. I did get distracted for 2 weeks and when I got there almost half the berries where dry. 

A few dried elderberries weren't going to spoil my plans completely. Maybe there wasn't enough to make jelly and syrup. Remember one of the foraging's golden rule? Leave some on the tree for birds. There was only enough to make one recipe. Darina Allen's syrup it was then.

I can't really describe the taste of the syrup. Berry flavour, definitely. A flavour of it's own.

Add lemonade or sparkling water to make a cold drink or hot water and a couple of cloves for a hot drink.

September was also the month I broke my mobile so there aren't many photographs for this recipe.

Serves: 250ml.


Ingredients:
  • 100g elderberries
  • 500ml water
  • lemon: 2 lemon zest strips and a squeeze of lemon juice (the original recipe called for 500g of berries and zest strips & juice of 1 lemon)
  • 190g sugar
  • 25g citric acid
Method:
  1. Strip the berries from the stems.
  2. Put the berries into a stainless steel pan and cover with the water and add the lemon zest strips.
  3. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20-30min or until the elderberries are soft.
  4. Strain through a jelly bag or a piece of muslin.
  5. Measure the juice and put it back into the pan. I got 250ml of juice.

  6. Add 450g of sugar for each 600ml of juice, a squeeze of lemon juice and the citric acid.
  7. Bring back to the boil for about 10min.

  8. Allow to cool before pouring into sterilised bottles.
  9. Store in a cool, dry place.


 


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