Can I pick and put elderflowers and elderberries straight into the juicer?!
Can I pick and put elderflowers and elderberries straight into the juicer?
I have lots of elderberry bushes where I live and I also have a juicer machine. Can anyone tell me if it is OK to put the berries or flowers staight into the juicer etc? or do I have to marinate them overnight etc? would like some reciepes please?
Answers:
Yum, elderberries. Berries and flowers must be cooked / treated with heat before consuming; raw they can cause nausea or headache. While cooking does take away some of the vitamin C, the other active ingredients (essential oils, tannins) are left largely intact and the elderberries are still valuable from a nutrition and health standpoint.
Recipes follow.
BERRIES: A few options for beverages:
-- put raw berries through your juicer, strain, boil and cool. Drink 1 part elderberry juice to 3 parts apple or pear juice.
-- elderberry syrup: slowly bring elderberries to a boil (add a little water to prevent scorching if necessary) and boil till soft. Strain and add sugar to the juice, about 2 cups for every litre of juice.
- You can use the same base to make jam, just add the standard amount of pectin (not sure where you're from, here it would be one package of Dr Oethker's).
- My mother-in-law bottles 1 part of this syrup to 1 part rum or brandy and gives it out as presents.
FLOWERS: Should also be cooked or steeped for consumption. A favourite recipe in Bohemia (where I live) is to add elderberry flowers to pancake mix or batter for fried foods. You can also try the following beverages:
-- Syrup: Steep 25 bunches of elderberry flowers in half a gallon of previously boiled water (room temp) for 24 hours. Strain and add 3 kilos (6,5 pounds) of sugar and 70 g (a little over a quarter cup) of citric acid. I know it's a lot of sugar, but added to sparkling water it's a lot more refreshing and healthier than store-bought soda pop.
-- Tea: Steep 1 t dried flowers in 8 oz hot water for 15 minutes and strain. Drink 3 x daily, good for colds and flu symptoms.
-- Other: Homemade ointment for bruises and dry skin: 3 T crushed flowers in 8 oz cocoa butter (here in Bohemia it is traditional to use lard)
Enjoy!
Source(s):
All in Czech and Slovak, sorry ...
http://knoflenka.mysteria.cz/bez_cerny/b...
http://www.sk2.goo.cz/zdravi_na_dlani/le...
http://komteska.webgarden.cz/receptar-be...