An Ounce a Day

Elderberry Cordial

Note: Elderberries should not be eaten raw. All parts of the plant contain small amounts of the toxin hydrocyanic acid which is completely destroyed by ordinary cooking.

Recipe

Ingredients

• Elderberries (still on stalks)
• Sugar
• Cloves

Procedure

• Pick the fruit on a dry day and stew with the stalks in a large stainless steel saucepan, with just enough water to cover.
• Strain through muslin squeezing to get all the juice.
• Measure the amount of juice you have prepared.
• For each pint of juice add 1 lb of white granulated sugar and 10 cloves.
• Boil for 10 minutes.
• Allow to cool and bottle in sterile bottles with good quality plastic screw-on tops making sure you distribute the cloves evenly amongst the bottles (they act as a preservative).