My great-uncle, who lived to be 102, used to make elderberry and blackberry wines. He never referred to his elderberry wine as Fairy Wine but I thought you all would enjoy seeing this recipe. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!

I don't have my uncle's recipe, but I'm working on getting it from one of the cousins.

Fairy Wine Recipe

It is said that if a human drinks from fairy wine, he or she will see fairies. If a fairy happens to drink from the same goblet, then the person will see fairies forevermore. The following is a traditional Welsh recipe for elderberry wine—also known as fairy wine.

7 lbs. elderberries, stripped and stalked
3 gallons boiling water
6 cloves
3 lbs. loaf sugar
1 lb. seedless raisins
1/2 oz. ground ginger
1/2 oz. yeast

Place the berries in a large pot, and cover with the boiling water. Let the pot rest for twenty-four hours, then mash the fruit and strain it through a jelly bag. Place the strained fruit back in the pan, and add the cloves, sugar, raisins, and ginger. Boil this mixture for one hour, skimming constantly. Let it cool, and add the yeast. Bottle and cork the mixture, and let it rest for at least three months.



Warning: Do not get your fairy drunk! He/she will fly into objects, then sue in fairyland court!!!!!

(Source is feydamsel from the Paranormal Research Society.) http://www.paranormalresearchsociety.com)

My next door neighbor searches out and picks elderberries every year. She makes pies with them, I will send her the receipe in case she is interested.

Won't tell her where I got it, she is VERY rightwing and VERY religious. Not sure rightwingers allow fairies in their lives.

I will find out.

More on fairies!

This site seems so magical and enchanting, an escape when the realities of the world get us down.

http://www.thesitefights.com/fairies/

be sure to send two bottles to the sites official wine taster.

(me)

I've been wanting to try wine making for quite some time now, but never had. That recipe sounds really easy except for one thing. Where in the world do I find elderberries?

you might try an Earth Fare, if you have one near you, Nina, or perhaps an international food market.

http://www.patch-work.demon.co.uk/elder.htm

http://www.primary.net/~gic/herb/elderberry.htm

http://www.nuyakacreek.com/elderberry.htm

These sources at least offer some information about elderberries.

Catherine

LOL Maybe the coop. No such places that I know of in Northern rural Minnesota. lol I'd most likely have better luck finding some to pick, but we're already getting snow and I doubt the berry picking would be any good now.