Pick Your Own Elderberries and make juice
In the months of September to October the nature in Denmark is packed with many delicious fruits and berries, like apples, pears, elderberries, blueberries, raspberries and so on. This is not just Denmark, in the most of the world these kinds of fruits are picked at this time a year. We always take advantages of this great opportunity to make some delicious food from all these fresh ingredients.
See also: How to make delicious Elderflower Juice
We personally think it is a lot of fun to pick our own berries, and then we also have the opportunity to get the best quality ones. Picking your own fruit and berries is also something the kids tend to find funny. Therefore, it is a great opportunity for parents to teach kids about the forest, and the nature in general, and then later teach how to cook delicious food by ingredients found in it. That is a nice way to spend your Saturday!
See more: Recipe for homemade Rhubarb Juice
If you don't have the opportunities to pick these fruits in the nature by yourself it is possible to buy already picked berries from your local farmers’ market/greengrocers. The great thing about the wild berries is that they are normally not sprayed with any pesticides or other bad stuff. When that said, always pick those berries that aren't close to busy road or other polluting things. Remember to wash and clean the berries thoroughly.
Healthy Elderberry Juice
This recipe for elderberry juice is easy to make and it has a super delicious taste. The concentrated juice can be mixed with cold water in the ratio 1/3 and a couple of ice cubes. However, the juice can also be drink hot maybe with some rum - some people say that should keep the cold away. In general the elderberries are said to be very healthy and that they contain many good vitamins, and that is just a bonus to the great taste. You can serve this cold drink together with a piece of this delicious chocolate cake or some homemade chocolate chip cookies.
Ingredients
- 2.5 kg elderberries (remove the largest twigs)
- 12 apples
- 1 liter water
- 800 g sugar
Instructions
- Wash and clean the elderberries thoroughly. Cut off and remove most of the branches and twigs. You can leave on the smallest ones.
- Wash the apples and remove the core. Slice them.
- Put the elderberries and the apples in a large saucepan and add all the water. Let it boil for about 30 minutes or until all the juice is extracted from the berries.
- Put a clean tea towel or similar inside a strainer. Place the strainer on top of another large saucepan or bowl. Pour the elderberry juice in the strainer and use a spoon to press the berries so that you get all the juice out of them. Let it sit until all the juice is passed through the tea towel and strainer.
- At medium heat, heat up the concentrated juice in a saucepan and add the sugar. Continue heating and stirring until all the sugar is dissolved.
- Clean some bottles in very hot water (preferred boiling water), and let them cool off. Pour the concentrated elderberry juice on to the bottles and close/seal them right after. This step is important if you want to make the juice last longer.
- Keep the juice refrigerated. You should be able to store it for quite some time. I believe when you have opened a bottle it will last for a couple of weeks.
Glenda kreidler
The bottles should be heated in the oven @90degrees. If you pour the hot juice into cool bottles they will burst. The bottles should also stand on a damp cloth when filling and should stay there until cool!
Dieter Spillner
What can you do to make the juice last for six month or even a year?
Drokthwart
Use Camden tablets, same as in making country wine (look it up.). Sterilize bottles first.
Alva Goossen
If you extract the juice with a steamer, the juice is pasteurized and will last through the winter months.
Myra Belasco
Rather than can the juice, is there any reason I can't freeze it?
Kim Nielsen
Hi. I would not recommend to freeze it. However, you could always give it a try :-)
Alice
Of course you can freeze it.
patricia Larkin
I FREEZE PURE JUICE IN ICECUBES TRAYS AND STORE IN PLASTIC BAGS. WORKS GREAT.
Maria Moesby
Of course you can freeze it! We used to always freeze it in plastic bottles - then only thaw what we would drink within a week or two
Kirsten
My 85 year old danish mom freezes her elderberry juice all the time and I do too, it’s a great way to preserve it
E
Is there a reason you discard the mashed boiled elderberry fruit instead of leaving it in the concoction? Especially if you've boiled it thoroughly? Perhaps it is more immunogenic even if Lumpy. I don't care if the concoction is lumpier if it would be better for me and my family . I am not the only one with this question because I've seen it asked on many websites and have not seen this question answered.
Kim Nielsen
Hi. That is a good question! The only reason why I discard the mashed elderberry is to have a clean juice. I can't see the problem in keeping this pulp in the juice. After all, it should only give more flavor to the juice.
Jamie Griffin
Elderberries are known to contain cyanide that can make you nauseous, vomit, and have diarrhea. For that reason, it is suggested you dont eat the berries or the part you mushed up making juice or syrup. The seeds are what contain the cyanide. I would advise against using or eating the berries or anything with the seeds.
Suze
Jamie once the seeds are boiled the cyanide is oxidated therefore harmless.
Helen K Walford
After the berries are cooked the cyanide is gone and no longer dangerous.
Danielle
Jamie, So long as the berries are either cooked or dried you can certainly ingest them in any form. They make delicious jam, pie, chutney, juice, syrup, muffins, tarts, smoothies.... the possibilities are endless.
Deanna
Cyanogenic Glycosides are notnpresent in all elders, Sambucus Nigra ssp Canadensis for example. Patrick Byers at University Missouri has produced a study that demonstrates this. Secondly, as previous studies have noted, the doses given to rats was incredibly unrealistic for human consumption. The lectins are far more likely to give you an upset stomach and diarrhea before you could consume enough Cyanogenic Glycosides.
Danielle
So long as the berries are either cooked or dried you can certainly ingest them in any form. They make delicious jam, pie, chutney, juice, syrup, muffins, tarts, smoothies.... the possibilities are endless.
Carrol
Makes a great elderberry pie! Leave a little juice and basically make cobbler or pie following a recipe
marcia powell
I have read the the elderberry seeds are poisonous.
Eddi
You can boil them, add sugar
Jamie Griffin
They are
Kathleen P Storrer
The mash is seedy. Possibly drying.. seeds are small. Always have tossed them, because Mom did. Put. I would Check to make sure the seeds are etible, online search.
AA Porter
I purchased elderberry concentrate, can and how do I make juice?
Kim Nielsen
I'm not sure about the concentration. But I would just use the concentrate instead of the 2,5 kg berries.
Jacqueline
Hi, Kim! I am not sure you will see this comment and my question, but I will post it and see :D
I am jacqueline and write Deeprootsathome.com and in the process of doing another elderberry post for this winter.
I would like to ask permission to use 2 photos from your elderberry juice post. I am thinking about the second from the top and the bottom, split photo, and I I will give you photo credit on both. Beautiful photography!
If it is good with you, please let me know by email. And thank you for your time and consideration!
Blessings,
Jacqueline
Kim Nielsen
Hi Jacqueline. You are welcome to use the two photos if you remember to make a link back to my blog :-)
Home Plix
Wow! amazing elderberry juice recipe. I really love this recipe. Thanks for sharing such an awesome post.
Kim Nielsen
Thanks for your nice comment. I am really happy that you like the post and the recipe. :-)
Flo Vigil
In reply to the person who think the berries are poisonous: If that were true generations of my family and I would all be dead .
Jamie Griffin
The seeds contain cyanide. If they are cooked, they are safe to eat. But It is advised you avoid eating the seeds as that is where the cyanide is contained. That is why it is commonly made into juice and syrup instead of just eating a bunch of the berries.
cherie
I just picked my mother's elder berry Bush. it was a beautiful harvest! I just cut the clusters of berries and did not pull the berries off of the stem structure. I just streamed them stems and all. the juice is very bitter. is it because I steamed the stems? will I have to throw it all out now!?
Kim Nielsen
If you only streamed the berries I can imagine that they did not had enough time to extract the juice. Next time I can recommend to cook the berries with water and sugar for about 30 minutes.
Geri
What is the purpose of adding apples?
Kim Nielsen
This is only to give the juice some extra taste.
Jamie Griffin
For those wondering g about if elderberry is poisonous.
Is Elderberry Syrup Safe?
Usually. However, many homemade formulas can actually worsen an illness by causing additional symptoms such as nausea or vomiting. The elderberry plant can contain a cyanogenic glycoside sambunigrin which must be deactivated by heat prior to ingesting medicinally to avoid adverse effects. (A cyanogenic glycoside contains a cyanide group attached to a sugar. When digested, it is released, and can harm the body.)
The berries also contain an alkaloid, sambucine, which causes nausea and vomiting. So why do we ingest elderberries? Because these components are easily deactivated through heat, which enables us to produce a finished product that does not contain any of the dangerous types of alkaloids or glycosides.
Kim Nielsen
Thanks for your good explanation about the safety of the elderberries. In this recipe we also heat up the juice for 30 minutes and discard the berry and only keep the juice. I've personally made this recipe many times and served it for friends and family with great success. Regards Kim (NordicFoodLiving.com)
Mahfud Rasmussen
Hi Kim. You forgot to add to your answer to Jamie Griffin :
"And they are still alive" (as well as the majority of scandinavians).
He should have from the begining writen: NEVER eat RAW elderberries.
Velbekomme.
Lori
This is a great recipe that has a wonderful taste. Thank you for posting it.
Kim Nielsen
You are welcome - I'm glad that you like the recipe. Regards Kim from NordicFoodLiving.com
Gabriele West
l like to make the juice but what kind of apples do I use.
Kim Nielsen
The type of apples is not that important when making Elderberry juice. You can just use what you have in your garden or your favorite from the supermarket. Regards Kim (NordicFoodLiving.com)
Gabriele west
Thanks for answering me, I will be making the juice soon. I just need to get enough elderberries before the birds get them. I never made juice before let you know how it turned out.
Kim Nielsen
You are welcome - I hope that you like the juice :-) Regards Kim
Steve Coles
Hi
Steve from Yorkshire England. I'm just about to make the recepie, can't wait. I wonder if anyone has included Cinomon for a bit of a twist.
Thank you and take care, especially in these times 😀
Frances Lunardi
I just made it.
I put in extra lemon cinnamon ginger cloves a nd star anise to give it more taste otherwise it simply tastes sweet, not in an unpleasant way and I imagine it would be lovely warmed when suffering cough sore throat cold flu etc
The health benefits seem amazing...wow
Jemima
I have just made this recipe and it is delicious. I plan to use the juice in hot toddy with rum for a bit of hygge this winter! Also with gin and tonic.
Jemima
I forgot to add the rating.
Katrina
Can’t wait to try it. What is the recommended amount to consume daily? Is this a consider concentrate or can you drink it as is? If it is concentrate what and how much to dilute it with?
Lyzz
Hi, I only have dried elderberries and hoping to try your recipe. How much or many elderberry would I use to try your recipe? Thank you in advance for you time. :)
Kim Nielsen
Hi - I have never tried with dried elderberries. However, I would just use the same amount as with fresh berries. In this recipe I use 2.5 kg (6 lb) berries. Regards Kim (NordicFoodLiving.com)
robert e kirschner
Wondering if you think it is OK to first freeze high quality elderberries until end of season and then proceed with your recipe? Thanks for your onsiderations
Kim Nielsen
Yes you can freeze the berries and continue later in the season.
Maria van Werkhooven
This recipe creates a concentrated elderberry juice. How would you dilute this to drink? Do you dilute with water? Or is the intent to drink the concentrated juice?
Haven't made it yet - still waiting for my elderberry bushes to grow:)
Kim Nielsen
Hi you dilute the concentrate with water. Then you get a tasteful drink. Just dilute it according to taste. Regards Kim (NordicFoodLiving.com)