Elderberry port recipe

[Mojoracinguk]

......well in answer to my earlier question, i can now say it was still fermenting.....had a fizzy bottle for crimbo and n/y......so i kept peeking at them every couple of days to check for cork shifting.....but all of a sudden....'POP'.......glug glug glug.....all over the cupboard carpet..... .....still very tasty and i only have a handful of bottles left.....think i might wax cap the corks to show signs of cork movement earlier.
Mojo

 

[British Red]

Oooops .

 

[British Red]

Bumping this because its been a bad year for many fruit - but a good year for elderberries

Oh...and because my kitchen looks like a bootleggers wet dream

 

[British Red]

Just bottled 30 bottles...well..29......one has to tashte it honesht

 

[Wettstuff]

Great tutorial Red, really enjoyed reading this and got if marked for this coming year. Just one question when you say "The first fermentation will be violent so leave plenty of "headspace". Top up when things are calm."
How long does the first fermentation take and what do you do with the extra liquid while waiting for the first fermentation to pass? Or is a just a case of having a cuppa and then cracking on?

Many thanks
Mark

 

[British Red]

First fermentation takes about a week - so make it a really BIG cup of tea

Keep maybe a pint of must back in a pop bottle or the like and keep it in the fridge. Add it back after first fermentation.

 

[Elen Sentier]

Thanks for this, saved, shall have a go. Does it work with frozen elderberries? We had so many I froze quite a lot.

 

[British Red]

I'm sure frozen would work fine - they really are just the "flavour" component

 

[Two Socks]

Gathered all I need, I think. Now I just have to wait untill the elderberries are ripe. A question though: Racking off just means getting the liquid out without any sediment, right?

 

[British Red]

Yep, technically

Tube, suck, spit, pour. tilt!

 

[Two Socks]

Thanks! I really appreciate all the advice.

 

[British Red]

Go for it. I have made 200+ recipes. This is in the top 3 !

 

[Two Socks]

The elderberries were finally ripe here this week, and now the flask is happily bubbling away. I am enjoying this a lot, even without having tasted anything yet. Thanks for the tutorials and advice BR.

 

[British Red]

Any time my friend

 

[British Red]

Just been out to check my elderberries (had to work away this week all week) - looks like I will be doing a large batch in the next few days

 

[British Red]

Here is our annual "cook up"


Large batch of port must by British Red, on Flickr

25 litres cooling on the stove right now - will probably strain it in the morning

Lovely elderberries this year - very dark and rich. Picked another six or seven pounds and gave to a neighbour to make their own as they have decided they want more bottles than I can give

 

[Two Socks]

Those pans are huge!

 

[British Red]

About 20 litres each

 

[Two Socks]

Here the port is about done with fermenting, and I think i will put it in bottles next week. I do not own a corking-gadget and was wondering if there are objections to tapping in corks with a rubber hammer?

 

[British Red]

Use a rubber hammer to start them and then a piece of dowel (stick) to get them in that last half inch - works fine