Welcome to August!

Guess what I am drinking on this very warm and rather humid afternoon?

So, what is in this cup…..

……..Okay, I am not going to keep you guessing……I mean really, we could be at this all night!

It is the beginning of August, and the Elderberry bushes are going strong and ready to harvest. Have I ever done anything with Elderberries before, nope….but giving it a try is a must.

I harvested several bunches of the berries and put them in a pot, boiled them in water along with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and a dash of ginger. After cooking, cooling, and straining them, the house smelled amazing!!! While the juice was still a little warm, I added some honey and then poured it into quart jars.

Side note – I think they, whomever they are, should make Elderberry scented candles.

Truth be known, I was trying to make Elderberry syrup, but it was still too liquidly. And then I thought, why am I making all this syrup, I don’t even normally eat pancakes, huummm? And an even bigger question is what am I going to do with all of this Elderberry juice since it won’t make syrup, no matter how much I cook it down?

I think my subconscious was working on this question all day long as I worked in the Food Forest.

When I came home after working outside in the heat and humidity, and was a sweaty mess, a thought passed through my brain, as they often do, I could mix some of the Elderberry juice with sparkling water, throw in some ice cubes – let me tell you, it is so refreshing, and good for me as well. So now the Elderberry juice has a new purpose!

The magic combination.

So, there is the answer to the above question. I am sipping on a very refreshing Elderberry drink while I write to you.

That is called a pivot, when the first thing doesn’t work, you pivot to something else. Presto!

Along with cooking the Elderberries, green beans and carrots are being blanched and frozen. Tomatoes are ripening and people are sharing their overabundance of zucchini and cucumbers. In the Food Forest, at work, the pears, plums, and Elderberries (yes, that is where I got mine) are all ready at once.

Even though this time of year is busy with putting up produce for the winter, I just love all the fresh fruits and vegetables. Next vegetable I am not so patiently waiting for…..corn on the cob!!

Another side note:

I cooked down some of the Elderberries to dye a silk scarf. It is a fugitive dye, based on all the literature out there. A fugitive dye can fade with washing and sunlight faster than a more binding dye. Unless of course, I spill some Elderberry juice on my favorite white piece of clothing, it will never fade then……

Scarf soaking in the dye pot in extracted Elderberry.

Gauze used to strain the Elderberries after being rinsed.

It is such a pretty color, even if it will only last a little while, because you know what, I will just dye it again later. 🙂

So, while I sip my delightful, newly invented to me, drink, I wish you a very happy August, even if it is hotter than blazes out there!

Cheers