~Elderberry Syrup~

First post of the weekend is the recipe for Elderberry Syrup...as usual I use my Marguerite Patten book as guidance, with a bit of internet savvy thrown in.   I'm sure we all know where to gather some elderberries, either out in the hedgerows or in a garden. Pick ripe berries - you need about a pound weight. Apparently the stalks and the green berries can give you a stomach ache, so strip and sort your fruit with care.
Recipe
Strip berries with a fork, and remove stalks and green berries. Wash 1lb fruit, then cook in a large saucepan slowly for 1 hour with half a pint of water. Give them a good mash.

Strain through a muslin cloth or jelly bag...

Measure the liquid, then add 1lb granulated sugar per 1 pint of liquid and four cloves. I ended up with about 3/4 pint of liquid. Heat slowly until sugar dissolved, then simmer for about 10 minutes until it starts to look 'syrupy' round the edges of the pan. Pour the hot syrup through a sieve into a sterilised bottle. Either serve with sparkling water or I am going to try mine with Prosecco or sparkling apple juice. Some books then advise sterilising the filled bottles, as you do in canning and bottling, but I didn't as I will use mine quickly and not store it for any length of time.

Store the bottle in the fridge

Gorgeous ruby-coloured syrup...other uses include as an ice cream topping or a base for a fruit milkshake.