Comments on: Wild Elderberry Preserves with Honey and Almond

By: Jen

Jen — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:05:45 +0000

Michelle — You are right that I did not strain out the seeds. I bet that a plum/elderberry combination would be delicious and unique. Since this recipe uses pectin, you don’t have to worry much about the pectin content of the fruit (I think elderberry and ripe plums are fairly low-pectin). A spice I like a lot in preserves (especially with plums) is ground cardamom, which you might consider using (perhaps leave out the almond extract or substitute vanilla instead). Good luck!

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:10:23 +0000

I am assuming from your recipe that you did not strain out the seeds,yes? Right now I have a huge amount from a recent harvest in the Columbia Gorge region of WA. I brought them back home to Santa Fe, NM along with Italian prune plums. I was thinking that a jam that included both would be nice, plus I’ll add a few of my local apples. I also have a crock full with vodka to be made into liquer. Thanks for your site!!!

By: Jen

Jen — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 08:08:51 +0000

Stevie Pittsley — have you seen “The Joy of Pickling” by Linda Zeidrich? you might enjoy it. She has some great and unique recipes in there (including a couple for pickled carrots), and it’s my go-to for pickling recipes. Euell Gibbon’s “Stalking the Wild Asparagus” has some good ideas too, especially for not-so-common foraged items, which I am guessing you might have access to

By: Stevie Pittsley

Stevie Pittsley — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 05:27:52 +0000

Great sounding recipe …. I have it saved , and when the berries are in season, look out ! …lol… I own my own landscape Design Biz, so I’m out and about a lot . I forage grapes ( Both Concorde , and Muscet, here in Massachusetts ) Blueberries , and huckleberries … tons of both in the nearby state reservoir , ( Quabbin Reservoir )
I just packed up a dozen quarts of whole dill pickles, 6 pints of sliced bread and butter , and two pints of wild Blueberries. I also am trying pickled carrot sticks this year ; a friend turned me on to them , so I did up 3 quarts of her recipe .. They are addicting !
Looking to put up some three Bean salad next …

By: Erika

Erika — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:01:30 +0000

What’s even better than elderberries are the flowers of the bush (common elderberry) made into a sweet and slightly tart drink. It’s traditional and very common here in Sweden, where I’m from. It’s called flädersaft or fläderblomssaft. Google it and try it for yourself!

By: Christina

Christina — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 21:25:26 +0000

Thanks for posting this. The local hillsides are covered with elderberry trees, and now that I’ve experimented with the flowers, I’m looking forward to playing around with the fruit later in the year. This is a great resource.