Blackberry & Elderberry Cordial

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I came across a recipe for making blackberry & elderberry cordial and thought I'd give it a try. Mum had picked me a few kilo's of blackberries a few weeks ago and they were in the freezer. We have plenty of jam so I thought why not give this a try. There were still a few trees with elderberries on them so I went picking on Sunday afternoon around the farm.2015-10-25 16.39.43All the berries are put in the big pot with some water and lightly heated for 5 minutes, then removed from the heat to cool. Its then mashed and left to drain through a jelly bag overnight.2015-10-29 18.18.34The juice is then put back in the pot with some sugar and some cinnamon sticks and brought to a rolling boil.2015-11-01 12.59.24Then it goes into sterilised bottles and for extra shelf life I put it in the pastueriser for 30 minutes @ 66 degrees. This will increase the shelf life from about 3 months up to over a year.2015-11-01 16.20.43Its loaded with vitamin C so should be good for a boost over the winter.