Elderberry Jelly

Fresh Picked Elderberries

Carrisa and I picked wild elderberries all summer long. The nicest berries we found came from the Provo Canyon in Utah.  The berries that grow in Utah are much larger than the smaller southern California variety.

Since we never did picked the 3 - 4 pounds of berries that most jelly recipes call for we made up our own jelly recipe.

HOW TO MAKE ELDERBERRY JELLY

The biggest part of making elderberry jelly is de-stemming the berries.  That takes patience.  Once the berries are de-stemmed rinse them in a colander.  Place de-stemmed berries in a sauce pan on the stove over a medium heat.  Mash the berries with a potato masher to help extract the juice.  When the berries come to a boil,  reduce heat, and simmer with a lid for about 10 minutes.  Place the berry mash in a colander over a bowl and let it strain for several hours to extract all of the juice.

Place the elderberry juice on the stove and add pectin according to package directions, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and sugar or other sweetener to taste.  Bring to boil and simmer on the stove at a low boil for 2 minutes.  Pour into jars to cool.

When the jars are cool, seal, label, and stash in the fridge.

Hint: Use only the bluest blackest berries and discard the pale greenish hued berries as they are not ripe.  Ripe elderberries have a white bloom on them not unlike a blueberry.