Old Fashioned Elderberry Jam
Elderberry jam is a fun way to preserve whole elderberries right on your pantry shelf, ready to use straight from the jar!
Ingredients
- 8 cups de-stemmed elderberries 2 1/2 lbs
- 7 cups white sugar 3 lbs
- 1/2 cup lemon juice optional, but recommended
Instructions
- Start by de-stemming the elderberries, removing all bits of stem and leaf material, even small pieces. It helps to freeze the elderberries first as they stem easier when frozen.
- If canning, prepare a water bath canner, jars, lids and rings before you start cooking the jam.
- Place the de-stemmed fruit, sugar and lemon juice in a deep sized jam pot. Be sure that it doesn't come up past half way full before you start cooking, as the jam will foam up and you need that extra space.
- Turn the heat to high, and cook the mixture until it reaches 224 degrees F (107 C), or thread stage on a candy thermometer. This will take about 30 minutes of boiling, as the elderberries release their juices. Stir frequently to prevent scorching.
- When the mixture reaches its set point, remove the pot from the heat and ladle into prepared jam jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Cap with 2 part canning lids to finger tight.
- If canning, process the jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes (or 15 minutes if above 6,000 feet in elevation). Once the processing time is complete, turn off the heat and allow the jars to sit for another 5 minutes before removing them to cool completely on a towel on the counter.
- After 12-24 hours, check seals and store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator for use within the next few weeks.
- Properly canned and sealed jars of elderberry jam will maintain peak quality on the pantry shelf for 12-18 months, but be safe to eat so long as they're sealed. Refrigerate after opening.
Notes
This is a tested recipe from the University of Wisconsin Extension service and it relies on a high sugar content as a preservative. You can reduce or eliminate the lemon juice, or substitute fresh lemon juice, as the citrus is there for flavor rather than preservation.
You cannot, however, reduce the sugar.
The recipe as written above uses 2.5 pounds of fruit to 3 pounds of sugar, which is slightly more than the tested recipe requires to error on the side of caution. The actual minimum amounts of sugar according to the University Extension are as follows:
"For Jam, the weight ratio of elderberry pulp to sugar must be no more than: weight of fruit/ weight of sugar = 47/55 = 0.85. For every 16 ounces (1 pound) of fruit pulp for Jam, your recipe must include at least 18.9 ounces, by weight, of sugar. It is not acceptable to use dry measure cups or assume that a 1-cup measure of fruit or sugar weighs 8-ounces, it will not. You must weigh ingredients."
They also explicitly state that you cannot use other sugars (honey, maple, brown sugar, etc) and that it must be white cane sugar to get the correct ratio. If canning, do not attempt to make this as a low sugar recipe, or to make it as a honey sweetened recipe. Sugar substitutes such as splenda will not work either. It must be white cane sugar in the quantity specified in the recipe.