What better way to bring kids into the kitchen than teaching them how to make a kid friendly raspberry cordial? Why? Two folds, it educates them on how to preserve the harvest, as well as, empowering them to create a drink they will come to love!
When Lola came to me after reading Anne of Green Gables she was intrigued as to what cordial was. She then talked my ear off in regards to how incredible and strong Anne was. When I had begun to think she’d leave out the drunken behavior between Anne and Diana, I was quickly mistaken. The excited rambling continued and my heart was full to hear her recite the book almost verbatim, page by page.
I knew instantly this was the right time to introduce her to a kid friendly raspberry cordial, though it wasn’t going to be I who was going to make it. Instead it would be my sweet 10 year old child, in all her excited glory, who would be completing the task.
Much like Anne, Lola has a strong independent soul. Not mention, she is as smart as a whip, and nothing get’s past her. She has been canning with me for the past two years, with last year being her first solo canning experience by putting up dandelion jelly. The girl has a homesteading soul, and this momma is awfully proud of her.
This raspberry cordial is her doing, and one which she will continue making for years to come. And for that, I am truly thankful.
Let’s Begin!
The adventure began with antique and thrift store shopping in search for the perfect cordial glasses and a fancy decanter to store the raspberry cordial in. Lola painstakingly selected a set of four quaint antique Iris & Herringbone cordial stemware made of depression glass, along with a beautiful decanter.
Next we headed to the raspberry fields and picked over 10 pounds of ripe raspberries. Not to mention, we may have consumed roughly 5 pound as we picked. During the process, we giggled and talked about the summer to come.
Lola and I sat down and wrote the step for this kid friendly cordial together, making the instructions are quite easy to comprehend. However, depending on the independence and maturity of your child they may be able to complete this on their own. Though they may need assistance on the final step.
You see, the berries will need to be separated from the liquid in order to create the cordial. This is where adult supervision may be needed. It’s awfully tempting for kids to want to squish the berries as it sits in the sieve. In order to achieve a nice clear liquid berry squishing needs to be prohibited. Though in truth, it doesn’t change the flavor, just the presentation.
Get those kids into the kitchen!
- 8 cups Raspberries
- 1/3 cup Lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
- 3 cups Sugar
- 12 cups Water
- In a large bowl gently mix the lemon juice and fresh raspberries,set aside
- Using a heavy bottom pot, bring to boil the sugar and water
- Once the sugar has completely melted, pour into the bowl of raspberries
- Allow the mixture to completely cool
- When cooled, place into refrigerator for 24 hours
- Using a fine mesh sieve, separate the raspberries from the liquid taking care to not press on the berries
- Store the liquid in a decanter, swing top bottle, or mason jar. The raspberry cordial can be consumed as a dessert sipper, or diluted by mixing with water or a natural carbonated soda.
- The cordial can also be canned for later consumption.
Initially, throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth century, cordial was made of fruit juices or through the infusion of flowers and leaves, with a bit of alcohol. It later became popular to make cordials without alcohol.
With that said, our adult version for raspberry cordial is good, very good. Y’all need to give it a try, of course once the kiddos have finished making this kid friendly version.
Find more of our family’s favorite preserving recipes in our new book, The Farm Girl’s Guide to Preserving the Harvest. The guide is an easy to comprehend book regard the preserving foods using home methods, while providing you the confidence needed to properly store the harvest. Pick up your copy here!
This decanter is stunning and a great price!
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