Lime-Mint Creamy Salad Dressing

peppermint leaves (photo by jhy)

You will need:

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar or sugar substitute
• 4 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 c. whipping cream OR 1/2 c. yogurt

You can use the cream for a fuller flavor, or the yogurt to keep things light.

Combine 1 T. mint (peppermint, spearmint, etc.) with the sugar in a small bowl and crush the mint against the side of the bowl with a spoon. Stir in the lime juice and continue to crush the mixture until the mint juices are released. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.

Press the mint extract through a sieve and discard the crushed leaves. Slowly add the juice to the cream/yogurt. Add the remaining T. of chopped mint. Mix well.

For good flavor allow this to sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Overnight is best.

This dressing is good on a cole slaw of green and Savoy cabbage, cucumber and onion.

The first time I made this, I didn't discard the crushed leaves, but just mixed them in. It seemed to be fine.

Preparing Elderberries for Use

Elderberries make great juice, jelly, and pies. However, they are a really labor-intensive fruit. The berries are less than 1/4 inch across, usually closer to 1/8 inch.

However, it's one of my favorite flavors, so it's worth the work to me to do something with some fruits most years.

Watch the video to actually see how the fruits can be removed from the stems. Basically, you want to wash them, dry, and roll them off the heads.

Some people like to freeze the heads before they remove the berries. I tried this. It did make the berries come off easier, but it also made the stems brittle so I got more bits of stem in the bucket of berries that I didn't want to have to sort again. You can choose which "evil" you are willing to accept.

No-Mess Elderberry Juice

elderberry juice right after processing (photo by jhy)

You will need: elderberries- 1 c for each quart
3/8 c. sugar, or 1/8 c sugar and 1/4 c sugar substitute for each quart
quart canning jars
lids, rings
canner
jar lifter, potholders, etc

This method of making juice does not result in a beverage you can drink immediately, but it's incredibly easy. You have to wait a few months to drink the juice.

I've used this method of making juice with several different kinds of fruit, but this post will focus on elderberry. It is very easy, except for the task of taking the elderberries off their stems.

Wash and sterilize as many quart jars as you think you will need. You can cover with a clean towel and let them rest until you have the fruit ready.

You'll need one cup of clean elderberries for each quart. Try to remove all the small purple stems, but it won't matter if you miss a few.

elderberries and sweetener, before adding boiling water (photo by jhy)

Set water to boil- enough to fill all the jars you plan to use. Then, in each quart jar put 1 c of berries and 3/8 c of sweetener. This can be all sugar, or part sugar and part substitute. I have not tried it with all sugar substitute, but it would probably work since there is no texture issue in this recipe as there is with baking.

Fill jars with boiling water, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Clean rim, put on lids and rings. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath. See basic instructions for hot water bath canning. canning.

The just-processed juice will be clear to translucent. When the jars have cooled, remove rings and place the juice in a pantry or somewhere to store for at least three months before opening. Over this time, the juice will develop.

When you open a jar, strain and remove the remaining fruit. The juice is then ready to drink.