Comments on: Elderberry Jelly Recipe for Most Delicious Toast

By: wilde

wilde — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:39:19 +0000

Hi Ceseme!

I can see why you’d want to use a juicer on the elderberries. It does take time to handle them, doesn’t it? I read that using a juicer to make juice from berries will break down the fruit a little too much which has the effect of making the jelly hard to set. Perhaps that is why you are having yours turn out too runny. Maybe you could try freezing them? That seems like the easiest way to de-stem the berries.

Good luck with your pectin search. Acid from the lemon juice is supposed to help the jelly set properly, although cooking for a longer time will do the same.

By: ceseme

ceseme — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:46:53 +0000

I love elderberry jelly, my favorite! I use a stainless steel juicer steamer to juice my berries. I just trim the larger stems down with my kitchen shears and put the berries in still attached to the stems and it eliminates a lot of work. No purple hands…well, not much anyway. Thanks for the recipe, I used the Ball liquid pectin recipe with 7 cups of sugar and I think it’s too sweet. It also turned out too runny, so now I am going to have to boil it down. I had 3 brands of pectin: Certo powder, Sure-Jel and Ball. I don’t know why Ball uses so much sugar and lemon juice. I am going to try Pacific Pectin next. It comes in bulk, so is much cheaper in the long run. If you can get a group together for a large bulk order, you can save even more.

By: wilde

wilde — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 17:56:51 +0000

Hi Skippy!
I think if you just cook your syrup long enough it will jell. Try the plate test by dropping a spoonful on a small plate and then tilting the plate. If it’s very runny, then cook it some more. If it seems to jell upon cooling, then it’s time to get out the jars.
Let us know how you make out, ok?

By: Skippy

Skippy — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:29:53 +0000

Heard many stories of elderberries being notorious for not jelling but becoming suryp. mine have been in freezer and Im ready to make jam. Any tips? I saw a rec. with vinegar. What do ya’l think?

By: wilde

wilde — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 18:55:03 +0000

Hi Jean,
The ribbed gloves sound like a neat idea!

I don’t know about using dried elderberries or rehydrating them. It might be worth a try though. Let us know how you make out!

By: Jean

Jean — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:28:26 +0000

I used rubber gloves with ribbed finger tips. Can you use dried elderberries and rehydrate them and use juice?

By: wilde

wilde — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:10:47 +0000

Hi D. Baker!

I tried the fork method of removing the berries, but I’m afraid I made more of a mess that way. I used my hands in a kind of wringing motion to strip the berries from the stems.

We made two batches of elderberry jelly this year! The second batch was a little bit more than 1/4 cup shy of providing the exact quantity of juice called for, so we added apple-raspberry juice to make up the difference. Taste-testers couldn’t tell the difference between the first batch (pure elderberry juice) and the second batch.

So, if you don’t have quite enough elderberry juice, try a combination with apple juice or another berry-type juice.

How did your jelly turn out?

By: D. Baker

D. Baker — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 05:35:23 +0000

Picking the elderberries off their stems is easy. Use a fork and gently comb some off into a little bowl, checking for throw-outs (green berries, larger stem pieces), then toss from the little bowl into your larger container. Repeat until done!

By: wilde

wilde — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 11:51:52 +0000

One thing that I’d like to add is that a funnel placed in a jar works wonders to speed along the jar-filling step. It also makes it unnecessary to wipe the rims of most of the jars.

It’s a simple thing, but so appreciated when you have one!

By: wilde

wilde — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 15:00:07 +0000

Thanks for the great tip, Karen! I love the idea of substituting natural sweeteners like honey.