Ingredients

¾lbselderberries,ripe

¼cuplemon juice,freshly squeezed

MCP (Monocalcium Phosphate),(1 packet) or SureJell pectin

4½cupswhite granulated sugar

¼tspbutter

Preparation

Rinse the elderberry clusters thoroughly by putting them in the basin of a kitchen sink, and fill it up with water.

Working over a large bowl, work on 1 small cluster at a time, gently raking the fingers or the tines of a fork across the clusters to dislodge the berries from the stems.

For each batch of jelly, collect 3 pounds of de-stemmed elderberries (about 8 to 10 cups).

Place the berries in a large pot and crush with a potato masher to release some of the juices.

Turn the heat to medium and continue to crush as the mixture heats up to a boil.

Once the berries and their juices reach a boil, reduce the heat to low and let the berries simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat.

Place a large fine-mesh sieve, or 4 layers of cheesecloth, over a pot.

Slowly transfer the mashed berries and juice over the sieve to strain the juice out into the pot. Let strain for 1 hour.

For jars needed for canning, 5 to 6 8-ounce canning jars and lids are needed.

Rinse out the jars and place on a baking sheet, top-up, in the oven. Heat for 10 minutes at 200 degrees F to sterilize the jars.

To sterilize the lids, bring a kettle of a couple of cups of water to a boil.

Place lids in a shallow bowl and pour the boiling water over them.

To make 1 batch of jelly, 3 cups of juice will be needed, if using MCP or SureJell pectin. (Any amount more than that can be reserve for making syrup, or be added to another batch for jelly.)

Place 3 cups of juice into a large, high-sided, wide pot (8-quart).

Add the lemon juice and pectin. Bring to a boil on high heat.

Add 4½ cups sugar and ¼ teaspoon of butter.

Stir with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil again.

Watch the pot as the mixture will foam up considerably. There may be a need to lower the heat a bit to keep the foam from boiling over the pot.

Boil the mixture, then pour into canning jars:

As soon as the mixture reaches a rolling boil that cannot be diminished by stirring, watch the clock.

At exactly 2 minutes, remove from heat and pour the mixture into canning jars to ¼-inch of headspace from the rim.

Wipe rims with a damp paper towel. Place lids on jars and rings to secure.