I just pulled 8.6oz from a friends place. if i had more time, I could’ve gotten a few gallons. I"m gonna use what I have in a 1 gal batch this time around. planning on picking more when I have more time. he’s got a huge row.
Nice find. Elderberries can make for a nice melomel.
any suggestions on fruit to honey ratios?
I like to keep most of my meads in the range of 1.085-1.090. In that range 8-10oz of berries works well.
beautiful! thanks Baratone!
I would lean towards the 10oz. That small of an addition is still not going to overwhelm the honey which I find ideal in most melomels. But, you could up the addition a few ounces and still be ok.
If you end up picking lots of extra elderberries you should save them for fall and try an elderberry cyser.
nice! I just need the time to go pick them. I pick up my boys right after work & my wife isn’t off for another hour. weekends have been way too busy. need to find the time!
just an update. still haven’t started it yet. my 5 gal carboys are tied up with my Sour Imperial Stout & Merlot Pyment. looking to start it when I get the pyment back sweetened & bottled.
How do you add elderberries – do you give them any kind of warm treatment or just ad them as-is (frozen/thawed)? Is there no need to worry about toxicity without warming (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambucus)?
I like to freeze them before use. But, they can also be dried. The toxicity is only a concern with the main plant parts, seeds and roots.
