Elderberry Jelly & Syrup

Harvest the berries the end of September or first week in October by using kitchen shears and snipping off just the bunches of berries

  • 3 cups prepared juice
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 box SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin
  • 1/2 tsp. butter or margarine
  • 4-1/2 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl
  • Prepare jars by putting in dishwasher and rinsing with hot water.
  • Prepare lids in dishwasher also so that they are hot and ready to seal.

Extract the juice from the berries

  • 1.    Place steamer/juicer on stove. (Make sure to assemble it correctly)
  • 2.    Fill top container with berries.
  • 3.    Steam for 30 minutes or more.
  • 4.    Pour off juice and get rid of steamed berries.
  • 5.    Repeat until you have processed as many berries as you need.

When you have juice

  • 6.    Measure exactly 3 cups prepared juice into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot. (If necessary, add up to 1/2 cup water for exact measure.)
  • 7.    Stir in lemon juice.
  • 8.    Stir pectin into juice in saucepot.
  • 9.    Add butter to reduce foaming.
  • 10. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.
  • 11. Stir in sugar.
  • 12. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min., stirring constantly.
  • 13. Remove from heat.

Pour hot jelly into prepared jars

  • 14. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
  • 15. Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops.
  • 16. Wipe jar rims and threads.
  • 17. Cover with two-piece lids.
  • 18. Screw bands tightly.
  • 19. Invert jars upside down on cloth on cupboard.
  • 20. Allow jars to cool.
  • 21. Check to see if jars are sealed.

Servings

About 3 pints per batch

2018-09-29 got enough juice for 3 batches at 3 cups each and had 6 cups for syrup. Yield 4.5 pints jelly and 3 quarts syrup.

  • 22.if they don’t seal put them in the fridge or use the following process:

if the jars haven’t sealed

  • 23. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner.
    • a.    (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.)
  • 24. Cover; bring water to gentle boil.
  • 25. Process 5 min.
  • 26. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely.
  • 27. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger.
    • a.    (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)
  1. 1 cup juice to 1 1/2 sugar
  2. Bring to boil
  3. Hot pack into prepared bottles
  4. Invert on to lids until they start to cool
  5. Invert onto bottoms until cold
  6. check to see if they sealed