American Indians considered elderberries their "medicine chest". Used for everything. From food both internally and externally, to digestion to respiration, from skin rashes to wound healing. From prevention to cures. Wonderful delicious berries. Where your food becomes your medicine and your medicine becomes your food.
Elderberry Wines, Jellies and jams fill the stores shelves. But when combined with natural live probiotics like Kombucha Tea, Water Kefir, or Kefir Whey, the benefits are exponentially greater and pleasantly tasting.
To create your Natural Probiotic Medicine Chest we'll help you create a
Natural Probiotic Medicinal ElderBerry Jelly
Makes 3 pints.
4 ounces of dried elderberries
3 tablespoons Sure-Jell (Pectin)
3 ¼ cups granulated sugar
1 cup Sour Filtered Kombucha Tea, or Filtered Soured Ginger Beer, Water Kefir, Kefir Whey or Jun
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
¾ teaspoon salt
3 pint size (or equivalent) canning jars with lids. Sterilize or boil and set aside until ready.
Begin
1. Prepare Elderberries. We want only the juice of the berries. (difference between Jams and Jellies is that while jams have pieces of the berries, jellies do not)
option; use a juicer. Dried berries have to be set in Sour Probiotic overnight to re-hydrate.
option: Rinse elderberries. Cover with water and heat in a double boiler. low heat long time, Do not boil as boiling reduces the nutritional value as well as taste. Add water as necessary to prevent burning, but keep the water to a minimum.
2. mix together the pectin and 3 cups of the sugar; set aside.
3. Add the Sour, filtered probiotic liquid, butter and salt and remaining sugar Mix well. Add this mixture to a saucepan and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Stir frequently.
4. Slowly add the pectin and 3 cups of the sugar, stirring and mixing well as you combine the ingredients.
5. Return to a boil, and boil for about 2 minutes to thicken. Keep stiring
depending upon the water (sour probiotic) content you may have to boil longer to thicken, or add more sour probiotic and perhaps pectin if the liquid is insignificant. Experience dictates here.
6. When thicken. Remove from heat. Carefully pour the hot jelly into pre-sterilized canning jars. lLeave ¼ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles by slowly moving with a chopstick. Wipe off the rim and lids and hand tighten. Do not overtighten. AS the jelly is cooled the lid is pulled into the jar to seal. When cooled you can hand tighten a bit more.
Is i Jelly yet ?
Spoon Test Dip a cool metal spoon into the boiling jelly mixture. Raise the spoon about 12 inches above the pan (out of steam). Turn the spoon so the liquid run so the side. The jelly is done when the syrup forms two drops that flows together and sheet or hang o the edge of the spoon.
RefrigeratorTest—Remove the jam mixture from the heat. Pour a small amount of boiling jam on a cold plate and put it in the freezing compartment of a refrigerator for a few minutes. If the mixture gels, it is ready. .
recommend checking out USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning 2015 revised (138 pages) Free Download
http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usd...
Good to Know
You can substitute most any medicinal herb, spice of tea in the above recipe.
Check out our list of Medicinal Herbs, Spices and Teas
Best
Ed Kasper
Knowledge is knowing that a Tomatoes is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting tomotoes in a fruit salad.
more information on ElderBerries