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How to bottle the fountain of youth

Bottle the Fountain of Youth

27
STEPS
INGREDIENTS

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

The elderberries are black and ripe

The elderberries are black and ripe

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

Start picking elderberries and realise ....

Start picking elderberries and realise ....

... That your choice of bowl is never big enough \ud83d\ude1c

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

Rinse and find the weight (here: 3 kg)

Rinse and find the weight (here: 3 kg)

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

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

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!

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 ....

Covered with a "sock" ....

Covered with a "sock" ....

... 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)

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)

Boil and stir until all the sugar has dissolved

Boil and stir until all the sugar has dissolved

Sterilise you bottles and fill them with your lovely juice

Sterilise you bottles and fill them with your lovely juice

Done :-)

Done :-)

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

  • Elderberries
  • Apples
  • Sugar