Picking Elderberries the Easiest of all possible ways!

[WVMountaineerJack]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2r-0WMWaJ4

I wanted to share how we took what we learned from some Euro winemaker guys and used on our own American berries. We picked some elders this weekend and used Richs Knock the berries in the bucket and Lucs washing the picked berries with cold water to float out the junk and got 10 pounds of very nice berries in about 30 minutes, including trying to film the knocking in the bucket which you will see I still havent gotten it right yet. Washing the berries also cooled them down fast and after draining them they filled 2 gallon freezer bags. We have picked so many different ways, this just couldnt be any easier and give great berries in the end.

Crackedcork

[ms67]

cheers, very timely

[Cellar_Rat]

Nice one thanks

[fatbloke]

Me ? I just pull the heads off, then comb the berries off with an afro comb and the float them to sort.....

[spritzer]

Me ? I just pull the heads off, then comb the berries off with an afro comb and the float them to sort.....

Thats the way I normally do it....
But the battering the stalks about in a bucket seems far more stress relieving

[mcblades]

Hi:
I am getting a steam juicer soon so was thinking this would be good for elderberry juicing. I can't work out if they would need de-stemming or not?

What's the consensus?

thanks

Mark

[lockwood1956]

I always de-stem even if I'm steaming,

technically you don't need to, but I don't want any stemminess in my wine this is why i steam them, to reduce the harshness.

[mcblades]

thanks Bob,

Destem it is then.

I would have thought that most of the tannins / colour will remain behind in the pulp after steaming. Would you stick some of the pulp in a muslin bag or similar and add this to the must or do you substitute with powdered tannin?

thanks

Mark

[goldseal]

Steaming seems to reduce the tannins, but there is plenty of colour in the resulting juice - it comes out quick thick and gloopy

[modofodo]

Thanks for this, will be leaving the forks in the drawer and utilising the bucket bang method this year!

Less mess in the kitchen = less ear bashing from SWMBO.

[WVMountaineerJack]

We tossed our combs, sorting tables, screens etc., Bobs your uncle doing it this way right Crackedcork