Made Kombucha With Left Over Elderberries
I made elderberry syrup for Christmas gifts and froze the leftover berries. I think I saw on here a post about using the spent berries in different things so I figured why not give it a try. I had a sinus thing that just wouldn't leave so I thought maybe this will help.
I mixed them with either blackberries or raspberries. The kombucha turned out very dark with a bit of elderberry flavor. Took a little getting used to but now we like it.
It turned out to be a great way to use the leftover berries.
Has anyone else used them in other ways?
With Elderberries and without. Raspberries in both.
Comments
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I like the idea of using the spent berries. Thanks for sharing your results @kbmbillups1
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@kbmbillups1 I hadn't thought of that. I just gave mine to my birds.
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@kbmbillups1 I also freeze my spent berries and have to admit that sprinkled over vanilla ice cream makes a very tasty snack! I told my hubby---well, it's good for you! lol
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@water2world That sounds good!!
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I have a lot of spent elderberries that I had used to make a tincture. Hated to throw the spent berries away (in the compost) so I have been putting them into a tea ball and making tea with them. Making kombucha sounds like a great idea. Feeding them to the birds sounds good too.
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@marjstratton Making tea with them sounds good too!
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@marjstratton I figured if anything immune system supporting was left in them, my chickens, etc. could certainly benefit. Considering that I can't free range them either, this gave them a very natural treat as well.
I tend to give "leftovers" from most herbal tinctures to them.
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Great use for those "leftovers". Unfortunately for me, I don't have chickens at the present time.
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This is definitely a new flavor I will have to try!
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Did you use them in the second ferment or instead of (or combined with) the sweet tea? What about the taste did you have to get used to, sour, bitter, astringent, or something else?
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I make a tea with the second round.
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@annbeck62 I put them in the second ferment with the raspberries. I wasn't sure what to expect but couldn't wait to try it. The flavor was definitely elderberry, but it wasn't as strong as the syrup I'd made. We did have to get used to it, but it didn't take long. It wasn't sour or bitter just lightly elderberry. I make my kombucha lightly sweet which is why I add the fruit in the second ferment. We drank it all, so it was pretty good!
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Rumtopf would be a good one as well. We keep a crock that we layer fruits and berries through spring, summer and fall with sugar and rum. You need about 8 oz of sugar and a bottle of rum 80 proof or better for each pound of fruit as the fruit needs to stay submerged in the alcohol/sugar mixture to prevent moulding. We serve it over ice cream or grilled pound cake for a dessert with a kick :) You can add nuts and pretty much any fruit or berry. The only one I don't like is banana - it goes mushy and basically overpowers everything else. Because we eat this through the year and just keep adding rum and fruit it is constantly changing and no month is the same as the previous one.
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@Sheila That sounds good! I'm going to write that on a stickie note and put it on my fridge, so I don't forget it.
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