Ingredients per Batch:

1½ lbs (1 lb 8 ozs) of Elderberry Juice;   3¼ lbs (3 lbs 4 ozs) of Sugar;   2 Lemons;   1 - 250 ml bottle of Certo (apple pectin extract).

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Separating the Fruit Juice from the Berries:

(Each 4 lbs of berries will produce approximately 1½ lbs of juice.)

1. Using ripe, black fruit only, remove the berries from their stems.
This can be a messy job; do it outside.   An ordinary table fork is a great tool for separating berries from stems.
Some very small stems may be left attached to some of the berries.

2. To avoid the danger of juice boiling over, half-fill (at most) a very large pan with berries.
Partially crush them with a potato masher.

3. Gently heat the pan until the juice starts to flow, then bring to the boil and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
Stir occasionally to prevent the fruit burning.

4. Pour the pan contents into a straining bag to remove skins, stems etc.   Collect the pure liquid in a suitable container.
Do not squeeze the bag; you'll get little more juice and your jam will be cloudy.

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Making the Jam:

(Make in batches of 1½ lbs of juice. This will produce 4½ to 5 lbs of jam)

5. Place the jam jars in an oven set at 120°C.
(This will sterilise the jars and prevent them from cracking when filled with very hot jam.)

6. Weigh 3¼ lbs of sugar and place in a very large pan.

7. Weigh a 1½ lb batch of elderberry juice and stir into the sugar, making sure that the mixture is less than half way up the pan.
(Any more could result in dangerously hot liquid boiling over.)

8. Add the juice of 2 lemons and stir in.
(4 tablespoonfuls of Lemon Jif can be substituted.)

9. Stirring continuously, bring to the boil quickly and immediately add the shaken contents of a 250 ml bottle of Certo.
Bring back to a Full Rolling Boil and continue boiling for 30 seconds before removing the pan from the heat.

10. Carefully remove the surface scum with a spoon or small fish slice.

11. Test the consistency by placing a teaspoonful of the jam on a small plate and placing it in the fridge until cold.
If the jam 'wrinkles' when pushed with the back of your little finger, it will set and is ready for potting.
If not, return the jam to a Full Rolling Boil for a further 30 seconds.
DO NOT OVER BOIL as this will produce a very firm jam that will be difficult to spread.

12. Transfer the preheated (very hot at 120°C) jam jars to a suitable heatproof surface and carefully fill them with jam.
Any scum entering a jar will float to the surface and can be removed with a clean spoon.
Now top the jam with waxed paper circles (wax side down) and attach the transparent covers (slightly wet on the outside only)
to the jam jars using the elastic bands provided.   Leave to cool naturally and then label.

Finally: Don't replace the transparent covers with twist-off lids until you're going to use the jam - you'll break the sterile seal.

To Make Blackberry Jam (Jelly) ...

Imagine the word Elderberry reads Blackberry and use this same tried and tested recipe.  Delicious!