10/4/2023 0 Comments Images of elderberriesTraditional recipes for home canning of elderberry jam or jelly were developed long before this research came to light. Do not use low-sugar or no-sugar added pectin or vary these weight proportions of fruit/juice to sugar, an unsafe product may result.Besides fruit/juice and sugar, add lemon juice and pectin if you are making elderberry jam or jelly. Lemon juice added in some jam and jelly recipes is to help pectin form a gel it can not be relied on to provide a pH low enough to prevent botulism but is essential for a quality product.A lower ratio is acceptable this means that you are adding more than the minimum amount of sugar and that is great for safety. For every 16 ounces (1 pound) of fruit juice for Jelly, your recipe must include at least 19.5 ounces, by weight, of sugar. For Jelly, the weight ratio of elderberry juice to sugar must be no more than: weight of fruit juice/ weight of sugar = 45/55 = 0.82.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. For every 16 ounces (1 pound) of fruit pulp for Jam, your recipe must include at least 18.9 ounces, by weight, of sugar. 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.The one exception is the canning of elderberry jam or jelly as long as you weigh ingredients and follow these special precautions: This means that elderberries are low in acid and can not be safely made into syrup or the berries canned using Extension-recommended recipes. Assuming someone uses a research-tested recipe, the maximum pH for safe canning of fruits and fruit products is 4.60. The average pH of the fruit was 4.92 across all varieties and samples, with a range of 4.73 to 5.19. Over 400 samples were analyzed ( n=429) for characteristics such as fruit pH, soluble solids, and titratable acidity, and research was published in Acta Hortic. Researchers investigated various varietal characteristics of 12 different genotypes of elderberry ( Sambucus spp.) grown in Oregon and Missouri. While historically popular in wine-making, recent variety tests have indicated that elderberries are low in acid and can not be safely preserved using standard home-canning recommendations for fruits or berries. The tiny purple elderberries generally become ripe in late August. Each bush sends up many canes that flower and fruit, primarily in their second and third years. Elderberry is a native plant growing bush-like to heights of 6 to 12 feet, depending on site conditions. The fruits are a food source for birds and their flowers attract butterflies and other floral-visiting insects. Elderberry bushes have become a popular addition to the home landscape.
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