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How to Bottle the Fountain of Youth

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bottle the fountain of youth

How to Bottle the Fountain of Youth

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Step 1 of 17
When the Japanese Windflower blossom it's time to search for the fountain of youth

When the Japanese Windflower blossom it's time to search for the fountain of youth

Step 2 of 17
The elderberries are black and ripe

The elderberries are black and ripe

Step 3 of 17

Elderberries have been used as a folk remedy for centuries in Denmark to treat everything from coughs to bacterial infections as they contain a lot of vitamins ... This is surely a fountain of youth

Step 4 of 17
Start picking elderberries and realise ....

Start picking elderberries and realise ....

Step 5 of 17
... That your choice of bowl is never big enough 😜

... That your choice of bowl is never big enough 😜

Step 6 of 17
Rinse and find the weight (here: 3 kg)

Rinse and find the weight (here: 3 kg)

Step 7 of 17
Pick half the weight of apples (here: 1,5 kg) Peel the apples, remove the core and slice them

Pick half the weight of apples (here: 1,5 kg) Peel the apples, remove the core and slice them

Step 8 of 17
Put berries, apples and 2 litres of water in a pot and start boiling. It takes approximately 30-45 minutes of boiling to get all the juice out

Put berries, apples and 2 litres of water in a pot and start boiling. It takes approximately 30-45 minutes of boiling to get all the juice out

Step 9 of 17
DO NOT LEAVE POT UNATTENDED!!! This is obvious but nevertheless I did leave the kitchen and was punished by a flood of elderberry juice - intense black/red - all over my kitchen!

DO NOT LEAVE POT UNATTENDED!!! This is obvious but nevertheless I did leave the kitchen and was punished by a flood of elderberry juice - intense black/red - all over my kitchen!

Step 10 of 17
Sift the juice. In a strainer or through a cloth. E.g. with a stand like this ....

Sift the juice. In a strainer or through a cloth. E.g. with a stand like this ....

Step 11 of 17
Covered with a "sock" ....

Covered with a "sock" ....

Step 12 of 17
... And now holding everything from the pot (and me being a nervous wreck - worrying for another disaster with juice all over the kitchen)

... And now holding everything from the pot (and me being a nervous wreck - worrying for another disaster with juice all over the kitchen)

Step 13 of 17
After 1-2 hours all the juice is in the pot. Measure how much you got (here: 4 litres) and add sugar (100g per litre) (here: 400g)

After 1-2 hours all the juice is in the pot. Measure how much you got (here: 4 litres) and add sugar (100g per litre) (here: 400g)

Step 14 of 17
Boil and stir until all the sugar has dissolved

Boil and stir until all the sugar has dissolved

Step 15 of 17
Sterilise you bottles and fill them with your lovely juice

Sterilise you bottles and fill them with your lovely juice

Step 16 of 17
Done :-)

Done :-)

Step 17 of 17

Drink the elderberry juice - mixed 1:1 with water - Cold or hot as you prefer. In DK we drink it hot during winter to cure all the infections we get. Variations: add lemon, cinnamon and/or star anise

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15 Comments
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Elderberries

Apples

Sugar

Nicole S.

Thank you!

Nicole S. 8 months ago

D Terry

Hmmm. Will definitely have to try this

D Terry 8 months ago

Marie-Anne B

Will check it out!

Marie-Anne B 8 months ago

Jane Z L

I'm happy you liked my guide for elderberry juice. Hopefully you'll also enjoy my newest guide for a traditional pasta dish 😉

(author) 8 months ago

Jane Z L

@Nicole For some reason I have never seen elderberries in supermarkets - Try to find some blackcurrant instead and follow the rest of the process. The taste of blackcurrant is not as intense as elderberries, but I'm sure you will enjoy that juice too :-)

(author) 8 months ago

Jane Z L

@Marie-Anne If Houston is within the subtropical region the chances are good :-)

(author) 8 months ago

Nicole S.

Sounds amazing but do you think that you could find them in a "normal" supermarket? Thanks

Nicole S. 8 months ago

Marie-Anne B

So you could find some in Houston?

Marie-Anne B 8 months ago

Jane Z L

@Katie I add apples to make it a little sour to balance the sweetness of the sugar. You could use lemon, oranges, limes etc.

(author) 8 months ago

Jane Z L

@Bethany Thanks - glad you like the guide :-) I looked up elder and wiki gives this description of where it grows - hopefully it will help you: "The genus is native in temperate-to-subtropical regions of both the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere. It is more widespread in the Northern Hemisphere; its Southern Hemisphere occurrence is restricted to parts of Australasia and South America."

(author) 8 months ago

Jane Z L

@Jan If you're still living in the same area I'm sure you can find some. Elder is very willing to grow where ever the birds leave the seed :-)

(author) 8 months ago

Katie Lee

What if you are allergic to apples?

Katie Lee 8 months ago

Bethany Harrison

What climate do they grow in? Would you find them in Australia? Btw great guide looks yummy!

Bethany Harrison 8 months ago

Elmo K.S

Looks yum

Elmo K.S 8 months ago

Jan Collado

We picked elderberries in our backyard when I was a kid! I wish I could find some again!!

Jan Collado 8 months ago

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Jane Z L

Thanks :-) yes it's my garden - not very neat but very cozy :-) ... And I was lucky to catch a glimpse of sun light in a cloudy day

(author) 8 months ago

Nicole S.

Is that in your garden? Looks very cosy :)

Nicole S. 8 months ago

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