It’s a good year for elderberries – surprising given how we tried to have all of the flowers earlier in the year as fritters, champagne and cordial, but still the elder is laden with berries.
We picked few kilos and I now have two gallons of apple and elderberry wine on the go. What to do with the rest?.
I did have a go at making an elderberry rob - apparently a cold cure – but it really wasn’t that special, and unfortunately came at the same time as strong competition: we had just made a load of freezer-space giving blackcurrants into home made ribena- by following the recipe in the river cottage preserves book, and it was wonderful – well the rob was lame by comparison and went by the wayside after that. That and it set in the bottles….
So – I decided to try pontack sauce. It seems to be raved over, and mutterings of how it is best stored for seven years and the like. Again, I followed the recipe in the river cottage book.
It’s erm… strange, interesting, odd.. I’m not sure about it.
Maybe those seven years are a requirement?
Never heard of pontack sauce before, but looked it up and it sounds worth a try – although we’re vegetarians, but I suppose you can eat it with cheese or roast potatoes.
http://creativeliving.10.forumer.com/a/pontack-sauce-elderberry-sauce0_post3482.html
Still, stripping the berries from storks? That’s the problem, we don’t have any storks in this part of the world. And if we did, they’re quite a large bird to grapple with, and might not relinquish their berries easily.
lol the image that conjured up!
I made that last year with frozen elderberries and like you I am not sure about it – it was a lot of effort for not much return. I think I will use the berries I have this year for hedgerow jelly which is also in the RC Preserves book and is fantastic.