Remember those wild muscadine grapes and elderberries I picked a few weeks ago? Since I didn’t have enough elderberries to make elderberry syrup this year, I combined them with the wild muscadine grapes I foraged to make what I am calling “Wild Winter Wellness Jelly.”
I had no idea what this combination would taste like, but now I think it is one of my favorite flavors. My plan is to consume this jelly during the winter/cold season months because elderberries provide some health support toward our immune systems.
Folklore or fact? I have no idea… but they are loaded with vitamin C and have a rich, dark color high in antioxidants, so I’d imagine there’s some benefit… plus it tastes soooo yummy.
Wild Winter Wellness Jelly
TIME:
60-90 min
|
MAKES:
2 quarts
HARVEST:
Wild elderberries, muscadine grapes
| INGREDIENTS |
|---|
| 5-6 cups muscadine grapes |
| 1 cup elderberries |
| 4 cups of water (enough to cover) |
| 6 cups of sugar |
| 1 pkg. of powdered pectin |
| 1/4 cup of lemon juice from concentrate |
| 1 pat butter (reduces foaming) |
DIRECTIONS:
- Wash muscadine grapes and elderberries well, picking fruit off the stems. With the elderberries, be careful to remove all stems and lighter colored berries. Elderberries contain a cyanide-inducing glycoside in stems, seeds, roots, and leaves. By cooking the berries, you cook off the residual toxins.
- Once the fruit is properly separated and washed, add them to a large saucepan with enough water to cover and bring to high heat.
- Once mixture has been boiling for 10-15 minutes, begin smashing the fruit with a potato masher to release juices. Hopefully the fruit is soft by now. If not, wait a little longer.
- Drain the juice out of the mixture in a colluder or fine mesh sieve, removing the solids. You wand around 4 cups of juice total.
- Pour the juice mixture back into a pan and turn the heat up to high again. Add lemon juice and sugar, stirring until everything is melted together. Add the pat of butter before the mixture starts boiling to help with foaming.
- Once boiling, add the pectin and continue stirring over high heat for 2-3 minutes (DO NOT WALK AWAY OR IT MAY FOAM OVER AND MAKE A MESS). I can usually tell that the mixture is ready because the foaming dies down and the liquid has a much more rich color… it should feel a bit thicker too.
- Any foam that starts to appear, use a spoon to remove it and put it in a separate container. You can still eat this but most people remove it for presentation in the jars. I just put it in the fridge to use on my own items so it doesn’t go to waste.
- Using sterilized jars straight out of a water bath so they are hot, use a canning funnel and fill each one leaving 1/4-inch from the top. Add cleaned lids and rings.
- Process the filled jars for 10 minutes in a water bath according to proper canning methods.