Easy Elderberry Jello

The jello of our childhood was less known for its nourishment than the spokesperson, wasn’t it? And of course those wholesome food dyes, I mean, “great neon colors too! “ It’s wonderful to revisit the smooth, silky texture of jello with clean ingredients. This recipe is ridiculously quick and easy; I’ve broken out each step here for the newbies who may, like I did, feel intimated using plain gelatin for the first time. But everyone’s a jello expert the second time around!

This yummy recipe combines

• the immune-boosting qualities of elderberries

• the nutrient dense, building-block qualities of collagen

• for a popular snacking and ‘dessert’ treat that (most) kids gobble up!

  * Before beginning, READ through the recipe to adjust amounts to taste.

Ingredients:

1-quart grape juice + 1 cup water 

½ cup dried elderberries *

2 -6 TB gelatin **

2-6 TB  Honey, maple syrup or another sweetener; it depends how picky the taste buds are at your house.

Directions:

1. Combine the juice and water, and heat all but 1-2 cups, which you are saving to bloom the gelatin later. 

It’s best to use glass or stainless pans here, not Teflon or aluminum.

2. Stir in the elderberries, cover and turn off the heat. Let the berries steep for at least an hour, up to overnight. 

3. Once the berries have been soaked (sharing their medicinal immune-boosting qualities with the juice), you’ll need just a few more minutes to finish up your jello for the fridge.

4. “Bloom” the gelatin by dissolving it in the saved cup(s) of liquid (cold or room temp) with a gentle stir, so that it can then firm up or ‘gel’ your recipe.  

5. The ratio is about 1-2 TB gelatin to about ½ cup liquid, it’s ok to not be exact. The firmer or ‘harder’ you want your jello to be, the more gelatin you’ll use.

6. It will become impressively clumpy while you get the other elderberry juice ready. Nothing’s wrong, jello is not the same as gravy. :)

9.  Strain the berries out of the soaked juice and discard or compost them. Reheat the liquid to a simmer.   

10.  Stir in the sweetener. If your kids are used to juice being their big ‘sweet’, you may be among parents who don’t add any sweetener at all.

12.  In the pan, add the cold dissolved gelatin glop to the hot elderberry juice.  Don’t splash, grape juice stains.

13.  Gently stir or whisk over low heat until all gelatin is dissolved.  

14.  Pour the jello mixture into the pan of your choice. 

A  9” x  9” glass dish produces ~1+ inch thick jello; my favorite is my shallow 8 x 13” enamel tray for about ½ inch thick.  Maybe it’s my imagination, but the deeper the jello, the firmer it seems.

15.  Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for about 3 hours or until set.  Eat by fingers or spoon.  They are fun to cut into simple shapes with cookie cutters once set.

Details:

* Elderberries can have a slightly bitter edge to their taste, I suggest trying the recipe at least once before increasing the amount of elderberries. No matter how fast you are trying to get well.

** The amount of gelatin you use depends on how thick or ‘firm’ you like your jello;  more gelatin makes the jello harder.  Organic or grassfed gelatin is best, but whatever you get at the grocery store will work.  Gelatin is a great source of protein, and the body needs more protein when it’s under stress or ill.

*** If your household is sick, additional healing ingredients could be added…

• 1 tsp – 1 TB powdered rosehips (which are rich in vitamin C)

• 1 tsp powdered vitamin C at the end, when its cooled to room temperature as Vitamin C is sensitive to heat. This makes it more sour.

• Sour Cherry Juice can be substituted for the grape, or try 50/50 with grape/black cherry. 

• An advantage is that black cherry juice is a great natural source of yttrium, which helps the body uptake the much-needed mineral Selenium.  

• A potential disadvantage is that black cherry juice flavor also has a bit of a tang to it.  Know your audience!  If they are new to different tastes and already wary, save this for another time.  Same thing with the level of sweetener you add.  Just a little honey is best, but if more sugar is what they’ll eat, start there.

ENJOY!

My favorite ingredients to use are Starwest organic elderberries and rosehips, Perfect pastured gelatin, and whatever quarts of organic juice are on sale at my local grocer.

Looks for ‘cut & sifted’ rosehips, which can be used your in teas/infusions, and then powdered in a Cruisinart for this recipe.

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