Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 6 months

Yield: Makes 4 bottles.

This simple elderberry wine recipe is perfect for the beginner home winemakers or for those looking for a new wine making method.

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Ingredients

>> 3 quarts elderberries
>> 1 gallon boiled spring water
>> 3 lemons, sliced thin
>> 1 orange, sliced thin
>> 6 3/4 cups sugar
>> 2 packets of wine yeast

Instructions

Put elderberries in crock pot. Pour in 1 gallon boiling water that has cooled for 5 minutes. Cover and let stand for 24 hours.

Strain liquid and place back into the crock pot. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the lemons and orange slices (with rind). Stir well and cover. Let stand for 14 days. Stir every day.

After the 14 days strain and add the yeast packets. Stir. Then pour into a glass carboy and be sure the airlock is on properly.

Let stand for minimum four months, but six months is preferred (see note below). Strain and pour into bottles. Fill to within 1 inch of top.

You can use the wine almost right away or you may choose to allow it to age anywhere from 6 months to one year old.

Note: Unlike most fruit wines, elderberries benefits from longer fermentation.

Wild Edibles in Recipe:

Wild Fungi in Recipe:

Edible Trees and Shrubs in Recipe: Elderberry

Recipe Category: Beverages