Week 27- Elderflower juice and Fermented Elderberry Recipe
Elderberries are antiviral and antioxidant making them a powerful
stimulant for the immune system. They are best used when you know that
you’ve been exposed or at the first onset of a cold or flu.
Homemade Elderflower Syrup
Ingredients
For 800 ml / 3.3 cups:
650 g/23 oz (about 3 cups) granulated sugar
430 ml/15.2 oz (1 3/4 cups) water
23 g/0.8 oz (about 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp) food-grade citric acid (see note, updated)
15 big elderflower heads (umbles), if using more, the more intense the flavor will be
1/2 to 1 organic lemon, cut into slices (optional)
For 1,8 liters / 7.5 cups:
1430 g/50.5 oz (about 6.5 cups) granulated sugar
946 ml/1 quart (4 cups) water
50 g/1.76 oz (about 3.5 tablespoons) food-grade citric acid (see note)
30 big elderflower heads (umbles), if using more, the more intense the flavor will be
1 organic lemon, cut into slices (optional)
Instructions
Remove any insects or debris from the elderflower blossoms. Do not wash them, as they will lose a lot of flavor.
Combine sugar, water, and citric acid in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved (no need to boil). Remove from heat and allow the syrup to cool to room temperature.
Trim the thick stems away from the elderflower heads and discard. Try to remove as much of the stems as you can.
Add the blossoms and the lemon slices (if using) to a large glass jar or a big bowl.
Pour the cool syrup into the jar/bowl with the elderflower blossoms. Make sure that the blossoms are immersed in the syrup. A small plate can help press them down. Cover the jar/bowl with a lid or a tea towel and let it steep at cool temperature (a cool room or the fridge) for 48 hours, stirring the syrup once daily.
Strain the syrup through a fine-meshed sieve lined with a cheesecloth or a paper towel into a clean jar/bottle.
Bottle the syrup – use tight screw tops. This syrup will usually keep for 1 year as is, stored in a dark, cool place (cellar/fridge). To make sure it keeps this long or even longer, after straining, you can boil the syrup for 5 minutes in a large pot before filling it into into bottles. Once opened, store the bottle in the fridge.
Homemade Fermented Elderberry Recipe
Instructions
- Put the elderberries into a pint sized mason jar, then add the honey to cover the berries leaving at least an inch of head space at the top of the jar.
- Cap the jar with a plastic storage lid or use a piece of parchment paper underneath the metal lid. Invert the jar for about 30 minutes or longer to make sure that all of the elderberries are coated with honey.
- Turn the jar upright again. After the elderberries and honey have settled and all of the air bubbles are gone you may need to add a bit more honey to cover the berries.
- Loosen the lid to allow air to escape during fermentation and place the jar somewhere out of the way. For the first 2-3 days it is helpful to invert the jar daily then turn it upright again. Be sure to tighten the lid before inverting then loosen again once upright.
- Within about 2-3 days (could be longer in cooler temperatures) you should begin to see small bubbles on the surface and the honey will be noticeably runnier.
- After one or two weeks you will see a lot of bubbles! Give it a stir now and then and it will really bubble up. The honey is ready at any point after this and will continue to slowly ferment for weeks and months.
- Strain out the elderberries before consuming.
- Take a spoonful two to three times per day when you feel a sickness coming on to shorten the duration of a cold or flu.
Notes
- You can use dried elderberries instead of fresh if you would like, but they will need to be rehydrated in water first before combining with the honey.
- Serving: Take a spoonful two to three times per day when you feel a sickness coming on to shorten the duration of a cold or flu.
https://www.lilvienna.com/homemade-elderflower-syrup/
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