Snippets & Snatches and Elderberries.....Sunny...HOT,,,mid 90's

    Awhile back someone asked me for my Elderberry Syrup recipe, which led to the following post, As the Elderberry's are blooming now  I thought I would share this post again.....Do you have Elderberry's where you live???

Our Elderberries are blooming this year, after 4 years of being defoliated by a tiny unidentified  worm.
Never got around to taking them out and now this year they've recovered.
Let's hope we get berries, I'm running low on syrup!

                                             Snippets & Snatches
Don't recipes fall into that category!! Especially in my house. Why do I own so many Cook Books , 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, while watching this show.  
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 come winter. 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?   I'll close for now, keep smiling, it helps!