Elderberry Port Recipe -

This Elderberry Port recipe is one of the easiest things I make every year, it’s a brilliant late evening drink and I also use it often for presents.

If anyone knows me, even veaguely, you’ll know that I absolutely love quick wins that pack masses of flavour, maybe I’m getting more lazy with age. This recipe for making Elderberry port is one of the easiest things I make every year and it packs absolutely masses of flavour.

Click here to see our Elder Foraging Guide

Elderberry Port Recipe Video

Ingredients

500ml Port (of your liking)
100g Elderberries (removed from the stalk as much as possible)

Method for making our Elderberry Port

Pop the elderberries in the microwave on high for 60 seconds to cook a little (this breaks down the small amount of toxins that are in them when they’re raw – although I’m certain you’d need much much more than 100g to have any issues at all)
Pop them into the bottle of port and leave them to sit and infuse
Leave them for as long as you can, it often gets nicer over 6 months +
When ready, pass it through a sieve to remove the berries and enjoy.

Physical Characteristics of Elder

Elder is a deciduous shrub or small tree, growing up to 6m tall and the same wide.

Bark

The bark of this tree is a light brown-grey and can be found cracking with a yellowing revealed in between cracks.

Leaves

The light green and lightly serrated leaves, spear shaped, 5-12cms long and 3-5cms wide, grow in opposing pairs, arranged along a pinnate with five to seven pairs.

ElderFlowers

The flowers 5-6mm in diameter each have five petals and are borne in large, flat umbrellas which are 10-25cms in diameter.

Fruit

The fruit grows similarly to the flowers in large collections, they are almost perfectly round, glossy dark purple and measure 5-6mm in diameter, they cause the branches they hang on to droop when they are ripe.

Edible uses of Elder

Leaves: Herbal use as a strong anti-viral (can cause nausea and vomiting)

Immature flower buds: Pickling, Lacto fermenting

Flowers: Cordial, Sparkling Wine, Tempura, Tea, Ointments

Fruit: Best heated, Wine, Syrups, Juice, Fruit Leather, Cordial, Beers, Ketchup, Chutney, Jam, Frozen in Desserts

Herbal

The flowers are still used by herbalists now to aid inflammation within the respiratory system, including asthma, coughs and hay fever.

The berries are commonly used and stored within syrups, jams, wines and juices to give a boost of vitamins and minerals throughout the winter months, helping to ward of the common winter ailments.

Miscellaneous

If you cut a branch from this tree the inside or pith can be pushed out fairly easily, using a tent peg or other hard piece of wood, this hollow wood can now be used for loads of things. Making jewelry, beads, pennies, snakes, whistles and even blow darts