Elderberry wine

[FarmerDenise]

Here is a recipe I came across. I haven't made it, but I thought I would post it for someone else to try.

Elderberry wine:

Combine in a crock 5 pounds of elderberries, 2 1/2 quarts of water, 2 1/2 pounds of sugar and 1 yeast cake. After 15 days, strain, add another 2 pounds of sugar and pour into fermenting jugs. Fit with fermentation lock and let stand until fermentation has ceased (about 3 months). It is then ready to drink but since it makes such a beautiful deep red wine, try to save a bottle for next Christmas-it will be even better!
An old Pennsylvania Dutch recipe from Betty Groff, Mount Joy, Pennsylvania

The yeast they are referring to is baking yeast as per the rest of the directions.

This is from the book: American Cooking: The Eastern Heartland a Time-Life Book.

 

[freemotion]

Interesting! So no smashing of the berries?

 

[FarmerDenise]

Free, I am glad you mentioned that.
It seems that they copied several recipes verbatim from old sources. In the general instruction given earlier in the book, they do say to smash the fruit or whatever you are using to make your wine.

The recipe for gooseberry wine is even more cryptic and in some sort of olde english

 

[Blackbird]

This is similar to how we make out elderberry wine (but yes we mash them). Elderberry wine is the best!

 

[freemotion]

Maybe they assume you know the method. Many of my handwritten recipe cards contain only an ingredient list and if applicable, cooking time and temp.

 

[kcsunshine]

Hey, you guys! Have you ever had Elderberry Capers? We went to a Sunset Harvest Dinner put on by our farmer's market and one of the items on the table of appetizers were elderberry capers. They were made by one of the market members and were good! I'll see if I can get the process if you'd like. I know this is off base on a wine post, but???

 

[freemotion]

kc, I never saw your post on elderberry capers until now. I'm intrigued. What did they taste like? Any news on how they are made? In Wild Fermentation Sandor Katz makes capers from tiny milk weed pods and also small daylilly buds. I don't have access to enough to make either of these but I would love to. I wonder if the elderberry capers are similar...

 

[kcsunshine]

Free, I was busy taking up tickets at the dinner, so didn't get to the appetizer table, but I think my hubby did. I'll find out.

One of our Market members is Blackberry Farm. Check them out at www.blackberryfarm.com. Their farm manager is also President of our Board of Directors, so I can get the recipe from him. Blackberry Farm has a staff of preservationists whose sole duty is to preserve the foods they grow, or purchase locally, serve or sell to their guests or sell on line.

I'll get the recipe from their farm manager if you'd like

 

[freemotion]

I never pass up the opportunity for an unusual recipe! Thanks!

 

[~gd]

I never pass up the opportunity for an unusual recipe! Thanks!

I have seen both the ripe berries and the green( just starting to show pink) berries called capers, here they used to be naturally fermented pickled and now pickled in vinegar and brine. I have been told by people who like capers that the fermented unripe berries actually taste 'somewhat' like capers and the ones made from ripe berries taste like Caper berries which is a different product from the same tree with the capers being the buds of the flower and the berries being the fruit.
Also the old moonshiners used to use them to flavor bathtub gin when they couldn't get juiniper berries. Go figure...