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Elderberry Wine Recipe
I have found that this is a relatively easy wine to make for beginners. It is a very full bodied wine with a lot of flavor. On a cautionary note keep in mind that while the ripened elderberry fruit is perfectly safe to eat (and actually has a lot of health benefits) the leaves, flowers and even the twigs around the fruit are toxic and should not be eaten or used in your wine making. When you gather the berries keep in mind that the environment of the berries can affect their flavor.
If I cannot purchase the berries from the store (or grow them myself), I prefer to get my berries from a local farm or U-Pick It. If you gather berries from the side of a road that gets a fair amount of traffic make sure to thoroughly clean the berries.
Ingredients
3 Pounds of Elderberries (without their stalks)
1 Gallon of Cold Water
4 Pounds of Sugar (Regular granulated sugar is fine)
1 Ounce of Yeast
The first thing you want to do is clean the berries. After this is done sit them aside until they are dry. Once the berries are dry crush them and pour the full gallon of cold water over them. After this is done let the berries soak for about 12 – 15 hours. I know the soaking period for the fruit in this wine recipe does not seem very long. You will find however that it is long enough. If you want to try letting them soak go ahead. Experimenting with the wine you make is half the fun. After the wine has soaked overnight you need to strain it. There are several ways that you can do this, personally I like to use fine muslin paper. Take the strained juice and pit it through a jelly-bag. The straining process can be pretty slow so be patient. When the straining process is complete take the juice to the oven and slowly bring it to a boil. Let it simmer for 5 – 7 minutes. Make sure to skim off any scum or sediment that rises to the top as the juice simmers. Now go grab your jug (or whatever container you will be using for fermentation) and put the sugar into it, then pour the hot juice into the jug over the sugar. Stir the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved. Now let the mixture cool, add the yeast, seal it up and let it ferment for about 14 days and then bottle it up.
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