richberry Elderberry Jelly

Elderberry is the dark purple berry from the European elder tree. The berries are commonly used to make medicine. The berries and flowers of elderberry are packed with antioxidants and vitamins that boost the immune system. The berries have low pH levels, which makes them perfect to be paired with richberry.

Yield: Makes 5 to 7 8-ounce jars

INGREDIENTS

· 3-4 lbs. ripe elderberries

· 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

· 1 packet MCP or SureJell pectin

· 1/4 teaspoon butter

· 4 1/2 cups white granulated sugar

METHOD

Rinse the elderberry clusters: Rinse elderberry clusters thoroughly.

Strip the elderberries from their stems: Working over a large bowl, work on one small cluster at a time, gently raking your fingers or the tines of a fork across the clusters to dislodge the berries from the stems. Use mostly berries that are completely blue or black. A few underripe green berries are fine; they have more pectin and including them will help the jelly set. For each batch of jelly, collect 3 lbs. of de-stemmed elderberries (about 8 to 10 cups).

Put the elderberries in a pot and bring to a simmer: Place berries in a large pot and crush with a potato masher to release some of the juices. Turn the heat to medium and continue to crush as the mixture heats up to a boil. Once the berries and their juices reach a boil, reduce the heat to low and let the berries simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Strain the juice from the elderberries: Place a large fine-mesh sieve, or 4 layers of cheesecloth, over a pot. Slowly transfer the mashed berries and juice over the sieve to strain the juice out into the pot. Let strain for an hour.

Prepare jars for canning: You'll need 5-6 8-ounce canning jars with lids. Rinse out the jars and place on a baking sheet, top-up, in the oven. Heat them for 10 minutes at 200°F to sterilize the jars. To sterilize the lids, bring a kettle of a couple of cups of water to a boil. Place lids in a shallow bowl and pour the boiling water over them.

Measure out the juice: You will need 3 cups of juice to make one batch of jelly if using MCP or SureJell pectin. Any amount more than that you can reserve for making syrup, or add to another batch for jelly.

Add elderberry juice, lemon juice, pectin to a large pot, bring to a boil: Place 3 cups of juice into a large, high sided, wide pot (8-quart). Add the lemon juice and pectin. Bring to a boil on high heat.

Add butter, bring to a boil again: Add 1/4 teaspoon of butter. Stir with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil again. Watch the pot as the mixture will foam up considerably. You may need to lower the heat a bit to keep the foam from boiling over the pot.

Boil the mixture, and then pour into canning jars: As soon as the mixture reaches a rolling boil that you cannot diminish by stirring, watch the clock. At exactly 2 minutes, remove from heat and pour the mixture into canning jars to 1/4-inch of headspace from the rim.

Secure canning jars with lids: Wipe rims with a damp paper towel. Place lids on jars and rings to secure. Let cool. As the jelly cools you should hear a popping sound as the lids seal.

Consume Miracle Berry: Just before digging in, chew 1 or more freeze-dried miracle berry (this can also be done during the preparation of ingredients). Ensure to remove pits to avoid a bitter taste.

Fact: The active ingredient miraculin from miracle berry will turn sour foods such as lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, non-fat yoghurt and other citrus food to taste sweet without adding sugar. We recommend two halves or 2 servings for maximum effectiveness. Make sure to follow instructions from the back of the packaging.

Note: Sometimes you may need to add at least 5-7% of the total quantity of sugar required, this is due to the chemistry of the food, however, you may skip this as you wish. The goal is to totally reduce sugar and yet experience the same taste.

CALORIE SAVINGS:

4 1/2 cups white granulated sugar 3480 Calories