Snippets & Snatches

                                                       SNIPPETS & SNATCHES

Don't recipes fall into that category!! Especially in my house. Why do I own so many Cook Books ( by the way some are going on Etsy soon) if every time someone starts to say a recipe I run and grab a piece of paper and copy it. I spent a long time yesterday searching for one and a current theme was most of my Snippets were on bill envelopes. It's a wonder my bills get paid on time.  Anyway, someone asked  - how do you make your Elderberry Syrup? and I couldn't find that one. However I'm pretty sure this is how I do it. By the way, every year is not a good Elderberry (or Peach or Blackberry or Blueberry, well you get the point) year so it has been awhile since I last was able to make some. I use Sure-Jell and inside pkg. I use the cooked jelly recipe procedure.  Elderberries won't be offered so I use "Currant" directions instead. Prepare the fruit as instructed with 2 cups water instead of 1 1/2 . When measuring juice into pot (after straining) add 1/2 cup lemon juice. Now reduce the sugar to 3 cups and proceed with procedure. This will make a syrup instead of jelly. I also do this with other fruits, when there is an abundance, to have syrup in the winter for pancakes. We especially like wild plum and they don't produce enough very often. Speaking of "good years" for certain things, one year I decided to tackle the multitude of garlic that had spread throughout my garden. There was a new show on T.V. midafternoon, so every day I dug a quantity and sat at the kitchen table processing it. I came up with chopping it and putting in ice cube trays (which of course were rendered useless for ice) and when frozen put cubes in plastic bags. I worked on that project during the hottest part of summer, and was so happy to know now I could add garlic to everything. Well guess what ----- we had a major ice storm that winter, and no electricity for 21 days. Can you imagine the aroma coming from my freezer as it thawed?  And this coming week is the anniversary of that storm back in 2009. I'll close for now, keep smiling, it helps!