Holunderblütengelee
My Aunt Vreni lives up in the mountains, in a small house with a big alpine garden, in the eastern part of Switzerland. We visit her every summer and I always look forward to eating her Birchermüesli, Wähe and her famous Holunderblütengelee (elderflower jelly).
The jelly is not too thick, and it tastes like summer—floral and citrusy and fresh.
After harvesting plenty of elderflower for this year’s syrup, I decided, for the first time, to try and make the jelly too. It’s incredibly easy, and it tastes like sunshine in a jar.
You can find elderflower growing at the edge of forests and along rivers in much of Switzerland. At the end of May and early June (depending on the weather), the flowers bloom. I forage my blooms from along the Ilfis river near my house. Once you’ve picked the flowers, be sure to use them as soon as possible—they quickly begin to shrivel and wilt.
About 12-15 stems of elderflower
850 ml warm water
150 ml lemon juice
1 kg gelling sugar (1:1)
Shake any bugs off the elderflower. Fill a bowl with cold water, submerge your blossoms and give them a gentle swirl in the water to clean them.
Remove the leaves and the thickest part of the stems and place in a pot.
Measure out the warm water and lemon juice and pour over the flowers. Cover and let steep overnight.
The next day, strain the liquid, then add the gelling sugar and bring to a boil. Boil for about four minutes (depending on the gelling sugar—check the package) and then fill into sterilised jars.
When choosing blooms, look for freshly opened buds. Try to make the jelly shortly after picking the flowers.
I use a 1:1 Gelierzucker (gelling sugar)— typically this Aarberg brand that you can get at the Landi. You can also use a 2:1 gelling sugar and add half as much, just follow the instructions on the package.
With properly sterilised jars, this should keep for over a year in a cool place.
Makes about 1500 g.
Now for the syrup?
Holunderblütensirup
