Respect your Elder...berries!

Good mor...er..afternoon.....

heck the post has been running around my mind since Friday....with a thousand other thoughts and after being able to;
get the soup on (that's right Mr Macdaddy...soup it is!) 
the sourdough bread rising
multiple piles of smelly, pukie laundry caught up
living room carpet shampooed because well.... a huge splotchy stain of you guessed it. ..was gracing the middle...
multiple noses wiped multiple times
puke buckets disposed of properly in the hazard waste sight
kids picked up...thank you friends and neighbors that did car pool duty for me this morning!
and teeth brushed...forget showering today..the minute I sneak one of those in...a whole new round of puking will commence...

I can sit down at the computer...for a second a spew (because that seems to be the popular thing around here right now!) some things I learned this weekend.

And as a side note....I only tell you the above list, because I know that you ladies do this and more every day and can feel my pain!

Now before things turned south, I had a wonderful Friday morning excursion with Mr Macdaddy up the canyon...berry picking...and it means exactly that!  We went just a few minutes from our house and picked two bucket loads of elderberries!!!  Once made into jelly....elderberry is the Cadillac among fellow fruity spreads!  Now before I was married...I had never heard of such a berry....and gasp... it was almost a deal breaker...for the marriage...you just don't have sour dough biscuits without elderberry jelly! Unheard of!!  Practically a sin!!!  It is now a staple in our refridg-or-ator!

And thank you to the internet I can Google about anything I want to and I discovered while looking for a recipe to make Elderberry Syrup, the very life saving benefits of this precious little treat of health! Just read this...

• The most important benefit of elderberry juice is its ability to prevent and cure illnesses related to the respiratory system like asthma, bronchitis, common cold, sore throat, cough and flu or influenza. It reduces mucus secretions and inflammation of the sinus and mucous membranes, and also helps drain the sinus of mucus, thereby reducing nasal congestion caused due to sinusitis.
• It has proved to be extremely effective in the treatment and cure of flu and was also used to treat people suffering from flu during an epidemic in Panama in 1995. Elderberry juice contains sambucus nigra agglutinins that protects healthy cells in the body from being infected by flu.
• The large amount of vitamins, especially vitamin C, that elderberry juice contains makes it very beneficial in the treatment of ailments caused due to viral and bacterial infections.
• Another very important benefit of elderberry juice is its ability to prevent and treat cancer, a fact attributed to the antioxidants that it contains. Elderberry juice contains bioflavonoids that are known to be the most effective antioxidants for the prevention of human cell damage.
• Elderberry juice boosts the immune system which can be quite helpful in treating diseases like AIDS and cancer.
• Elderberry juice is known to lower cholesterol levels and reduce bad cholesterol. This can be highly beneficial in preventing the various heart related disorders.
• Using elderberry juice for culinary purposes helps improve and maintain a healthy digestive system.
• The harmful effects of environmental pollution, stress, and unhealthy eating can be prevented and reduced by the daily consumption of elderberry juice.
• Elderberry juice concentrate benefits include prevention and cure of diabetes, protection against viral infections, and chest congestion. It has anti-viral, anti-histamine and anti-oxidant properties and its daily consumption can be very beneficial for overall well being.
• Consuming elderberry juice also helps prevent and cure hemorrhoids, constipation, and diarrhea. It also improves heart and kidney health, improves vision, cures yeast infections, and urinary tract infections.
• Consumption of elderberry juice on a regular basis helps clear complexion of blemishes and dark spots. It can delay the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines and helps reduce acne breakouts. Read more on juice fasting recipes.

Now  for  those that know Mr Mackdaddy's grandma and family...just why they were so dang beautiful!  It was all in the Eldeberry!!

So I juiced them all, made some jelly that we can't live without, but I also made some juice that we will be sipping on throughout the year...because I am all about preventing the little bout of catastrophe that has been goin on around here!

If you want more you can read about Elderberry juice here and here and it tastes good!!!! I don't know about you, but I would much rather drink elderberry juice then go get a shot in the arm.....that I don't trust....but that is just me!!

In making the juice, I have a steamer, that I wash and de-stem the berries from the branches (don't steam or cook or eat the leaves, branches or bark.....they can be poisonous!) and throw the berries in for about an hour...towards the end I pour hot water over the berries to get every last ounce of juice that I can..

After I have the juice you can then make it into jelly, syrup or juice.  To make my juice, I mixed it with honey...which is a very healthy remedy for colds and flu!  by about 4 to 1.  I had 16 cups of juice, and I added 4 cups of honey...you could also use blue aguave..with its own health benefits, or sugar!), I heated this to just below a boil, the filled glass bottles and processed in a water bath for 15 minutes!  It is good!!!  In some of the recipes they used equal amounts of sweetener to the juice...I like the more natural taste!

And it makes me feel domestic and like I have a little piece of the farm......which.....

It looks as if we will staying our pretty little booties, here in our condo...forever...maybe when my oldest marries in ten years..I can convince him to rent the place from us so we can move on....

but whatever the reason...I will blog about that tomorrow!

say what? 

Lover yer berry lovin guts!