Elderberry Mead

This recipe is by Sam Comfort (former Honey Gardens’ employee).
Ingredients
- 25 lbs. elderberries
- 5 lbs. Apitherapy Raw Honey from Honey Gardens
- 1 cup concentrated lemon juice
- 1 packet of brewer’s or baker’s yeast
- optional: ground cloves, ginger, other spices to taste.
Directions
Bring all of the elderberries to a boil, then strain in a colander and squeeze to get the most juice possible into a five gallon bucket. (You can find elderberries in the wild in early September, or you may be able to purchase them from Honey Gardens. You can use another berry in place of elderberries if desired.) Add honey and lemon juice. Let juice reach room temperature. Dissolve yeast into a cup of warm water and add to juice. Stir with a wooden spoon or your hand. Do not let the fermenting juice touch metal. Leave the mixture in the bucket to condition. Cover and taste in 6 weeks—time depends on temperature. Can be put into glass jars at this time without tightening lids.
Makes about 2.5 gallons.