Harvesting elder trees, found in common hedgerows and backyard gardens, in early summer for elderflowers can leave some elderflower heads behind which turn into elderberries by late summer to early autumn.
Gathering Wild Elderberries in September
Elderberries are distinctive dark blue or indigo to black small fruits that hang from the elder trees in dense umbrel clusters, as shown in the image. Gathering elderberries in the month of September will capture may ripe elderberries which are best removed from the tree by snipping the sprigs of clustered fruits in a similar fashion to collecting bramble fruits from hedgerows.
Preparing and Preserving Elderberries
Preparing elderberries in the home kitchen requires the stripping of the fruits from the sprigs with a fork, taking care not to burst the small fruits. Like gooseberries straight from the bush, elderberries are sour hedgerow fruits to taste raw. Sweetened and preserved as a jam spread jelly or made into a hedgerow homebrew wine, elderberries can have a sparkling taste.
Elderberry Jelly Recipe
Ingredients:
- 4 limes
- 1kg elderberries, removed from sprigs and washed
- Up to 1.5 kg granulated or preserving sugar
Directions:
- Cut and squeeze the limes.
- Add the lime juice to a large saucepan.
- Put the elderberries into the saucepan with the lime juice and add still water until all the berry fruit is covered.
- Cover the pan and simmer the elderberries, lime juice and water for at least 60 minutes.
- Taking care with the hot liquid, blend the elderberry fruits and leave to cool down in the saucepan. Alternatively the berries can be mashed by hand using a fork or masher.
- Once cooled down, the elderberry fruits and liquid need to be strained. This can be done using a plastic sieve, sterilised jelly bag or fine cloth. For economy allow some time for the liquid to drain through. This can take up to 12 hours, if time allows.
- Ensure that enough jars are sterilised.
- Calculate the amount of preserving or granulated sugar required by measuring first the amount of strained elderberry juice available. For every 1 pint of elderberry juice estimate using 450g of sugar.
- Measure out the sugar and add to a fresh clean large saucepan.
- Add the elderberry juice to the sugar in the pan and heat at a low temperature setting.
- Continue heating the contents in the pan until all the sugar has dissolved.
- Then turn up the heat and boil rapidly for up to 15 minutes until the jelly hits setting point of 105 degrees Celsius or 220 degree Fahrenheit. Check for setting point using the wrinkle test or flake test if a thermometer is unavailable.
- When the jelly is ready, turn off the heat to the saucepan and remove all detritus from the top of the jelly.
- Spoon the jelly into the sterilised jars or glass pots and add lids. Leave to cool before storing the wild elderberries preserve.
Susan Morris - Susan Morris, Scottish food and drink business manager, organic gardener, author and editor
