ELDERBERRY FLOWER JELLY

Elderberry flowers perfume the air so beautifully as soon as the sun shines on them.
For a number of days I have been thinking about how to capture that and take it home!

Yesterday I decided to cook jelly... which I have never done.

Here is the story - feel free to make some too!

Start by picking a big bowl of elderberry flowers.





Then  boil about a litre (1 quart) of water and add all those flowers to the water. They sizzle a bit, or rather, the pollen does. And all that pollen turns the water golden...

Cover and let stand overnight.



Next morning take out the flowers and made sure there are no more bits and pieces in the liquid. Then peel a lemon very thinly...



and bring all that golden liquid to a boil with the lemon peel in it.

Leave the lemon peel in the liquid for a bit (you could use two or three - I had only one...)
before you take it out.




To the liquid in the pot add the same volume of jelling sugar (I found that in a store here: it is sugar with pectin added, sold in summer for making jam...) and boil rapidly for about 4 minutes. At the last minute add the juice of the lemon (you could use two or three here too...) Next pour into scrubbed glass jars and twist on the tops. Turn briefly to sterilize the tops on the inside, then turn right side up again and let cool.



Mounded on a rice cracker


A slice for you!



This would be good on pancakes - or buttered toast - or waffles - or whatever you like!
It captures the perfume of the flowers perfectly...