Thanks chuck
Ooo can't bloody wait for crimbo now haha - first time I've ever said THAT! Was lovely though, making our own crimbo booze. I'm gonna make some elderberry syrup this week sometime too - proven anti-viral it is, meant to be great for colds and flu
You could make an Elderberry Rob for medicinal purposes,
sojourner . I make one most years, cos it's so easy to use later.
Get your elderberries and comb them off the stems. You probably already know this, but it's worth repeating: the stems are emetic, so you do want to get rid of them.
Put the berries in a large heavy bottomed pan with enough water to make them wet through. Put the lid on and bring to a boil, then turn it right down, right away. Allow that to simmer for about 20 minutes. Add more water if you think it needs it, but you'll be evaporating it later, so not too much. Squash it all down with a potato masher to get the pulp out of the skins. Strain it all through a colander, then through a sieve. Now reduce the fluid (the menstruum
) over a low heat for as long as it takes. Eventually it will form a thick sticky paste. That can be stored in a sterilised jar until next year's harvest.
You can check how thick it is by taking a spoonful out and letting it cool til you can see how thick it's gonna be. Keep doing that til you get a consistency like marmite, or treacle, or honey, jam. Thick and gooey, anyway.
You can add spices during the initial cooking stage if you like: cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, nutmeg, whatever.
If you want it more sweet, then add honey at the end of the reduction stage.
To use it, at the first hint of a cold, put a teaspoonful of the Rob in a mug and add hot water. I leave out the honey, and sweeten it at this point if I want to. Take it at bedtime, and throughout the day. It can make you sweat (it's a diaphoretic) which is good. It's also antiviral (specific against certain flu viruses), antioxidant, demulcent, all kindsa good stuff. Take as much and as often as you like during any upper respiratory tract infection. You can also use it as a prophylactic during the cold season. If you feel like a cold drink while you're ill, you can mix it with some hot water to loosen the paste, and then add fizzy or still cold water. Or another juice or herbal tea. If you have a really sore throat, make ice lollies with the diluted rob and suck on them to soothe your throat.
Mrs Grieves' recipe for Rob is here, and she gives a good recipe for elderberry syrup too. Also wines, ketchup, chutney etc.
https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/e/elder-04.html#medpre
Not brewing, this, but good to know.
When I make my skittle voddy I just screw the top back on the bottles.
There's millions here at the mo.
