Hey, Baby! Let’s Fall in Love!

As the summer draws to a close, it will be a reminder of good times when many at least made one short trip to the seaside. A much needed dip for anyone, including landlocked fellow Austrians, can be had not all that far away. This year, we fell in love with Koper!

The location behind our recent dream get away, Koper, is “Austria’s port to the world”. Although, strictly speaking, the beautiful medieval town is located on the short stretch of Slovenian coast. Sandwiched between Italy and Croatia, Slovenia reaches for the sea on the Istria peninsula. The Slovenian part covers just over 46 km of the entire Istrian 430km coastline.

While not an everyday indulgence, the undeniably relaxed feeling of Koper and Slovenia can be brought home. And there is certain things we’re immediately adding to our weekly mental health routine, including the magic formula, of long leisurely strolls through the countryside – albeit that of the Weinviertel. Simply gorgeous!

Find out how to harvest and bottle and store that autumny wholesome goodness for months – in your fridge. With our fabulous elderberry syrup recipe below!

Fall in Love with Elderberry Syrup

Harvest approx. 1kg of Elderberry stalks, loaded with goodness.
Remove the berries from the stalk carefully – a normal fork works best!

Make sure you remove as many of the green berries as possible. Fill a medium-sized pot with 400ml of water, stir in the elderberries and bring to the boil. Add herbs for taste – mint, ginger, rosemary and cinnamon all work really well.

Boil for 5 minutes on medium heat – then use another pot and a very fine sieve to drain the juice from the berries. A Muslin cloth can also be used, if the sieve’s holes are too big.

Add the juice of 1-2 lemons and bring to the boil again for a further 5 minutes. You can also add sugar and honey, if you prefer a sweeter taste for your syrup. Bottle the hot syrup immediately, filling sterilized glass bottles and jars to the brim.

Et voila! Enjoy this first harvest of the autumn season – all snuggled up on the sofa, with your loved one!