Saft: Cordial is most commonly known as the non-alcoholic syrupy drink we call saft in Scandinavia. Saft is the Scandinavian term for cordial or squash. We drink a lot of saft in Norway, and it's a common drink for kids that don't want to drink water. S ugar free saft, is also very popular, using artificial sweeteners. A Scandinavian saft typically has high fruit concentration (before diluting in water), but it will also depend on the type of berries. Either way - it is delicious! As with most diets, there are many allowed fruits on the low histamine diet. I generally recommend people start with just blueberries, and work up to apples, raspberries, and kiwis before reintroducing other fruits. Source fresh, local fruits. It may sound obvious, but I don't mean the fruits from your local grocery store. Try to source all your fruits and vegetables from your local farmers when possible, to minimize the distance from farm to table (plus it supports the local community!). To avoid all the most common pitfalls, ones I've even fallen into, below are my top 5 tips for keeping fruits low histamine rather than losing them to time.

Add the washed berries and water to a large casserole. Let it boil (covered with a lid) until the berries are pale and have released most of their juices. Make sure the berries don’t break, as this will make your cordial cloudy. You can use less sugar, but the cordial will keep for a shorter amount of time. Start with little and taste as you go, stop when you think it's sweet enough but just remember it won't keep that well. Add washed berries to a blender or mash in a large bowl. You may need some water to help mash it. Pour over water and lemon juice (or citric acid/tartaric acid). Let this mixture sit overnight before adding sugar. Remember that raw cordial needs more sugar to help preserve it. A rule of thumb is about ¾-1 parts sugar to 1 part berries.When it’s done, take the pin off the tube and fill your sterilized glass bottles. Keep in a cool and dark place. Looking for a different flavour of squash to drink, I spotted the Lindhouse Cherries & Berries in Lidl. This is a double strength squash, which means you need half the water to make it into a cold drink. So I thought I’d give it a go. This method retains the most amount of nutrients in the berries, but it is also the one that keeps the worst. It also needs more sugar to help preserve the cordial. This is super easy though! When Googling cordial, several meanings to the word show up. Excluding "warm and pleasant", but only thinking about the actual drinks, three kinds show up: Storage instructions: Store upright, in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Once opened, use within 1 month.

The label’s full of information you’d not normally read, but it says some encouraging things: Concentrated, no added sugar, cherries and berries fruit drink with sweeteners. Contains naturally occurring sugars. How long it will steam depends on your berries, but my red currant cordial needs about 80-90 minutes. It's usually not less than an hour, although raspberries, plums and pears need less, about 45 minutes. Ingredients: Water 20%, Cherries and Berries Fruit Juice from Concentrate (Apple, Cherry, Raspberry, Strawberry),

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Some people may not be able to tolerate a few of these fruits due to oxalate, blood sugar, or salicylate issues, but there will likely be at least one low histamine fruit on this list that you can tolerate; I can almost guarantee that.

In the casserole that fits the cordial steamer snuggly, fill with water, leaving 2.5in (3cm) at the top. Top with the cordial steamer and pin the tube so the juice doesn’t come out. This is because the longer a fruit sits around, the more bacteria it's exposed to, and many types of bacteria produce histamine as a by-product of their own digestion. For some people, the bacteria are already inside them over-producing histamine. How long it will steam depends on your berries, but my red currant cordial needs about 80-90 minutes. It’s usually not less than an hour, although raspberries, plums and pears need less, about 45 minutes.

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Pin the tube so the juice doesn't come out. Place the lid on the steamer and do not take it off at any time during the steaming process. If the pressure lifts the lid, place something heavy on top. This will keep for up to 3 weeks in the fridge, butthe best way to preserve it is to freeze it! To freeze: pour into smaller bottles, leaving some room as the liquid expands once frozen. I realize not everyone has room for an extra appliance in their kitchen. You can however simply add them to a casserole directly. Make sure the berries are clean, remove vines (and pits for plums and cherries!).

Tart fruit and berries require about the same amount of sugar. 1000 grams or 2.2 lbs of red currants, raspberries, gooseberries, rhubarb and cherries need about 600 grams or 3 cups of sugar. This will of course depend on your preference, but this is mine. I think it is still tart, it's sweet but not overly sweet. Using tart berries are my favorite!I hope this isn't too confusing. The amount of sugar is helping to preserve, and to make it taste good. I think as long as you keep at least half of the sugar content, you can adjust to your own sweetness preference. The difference between a squash and a cordial is the concentration of fruit juice. It's claimed that squash has at least 30% fruit, whereas cordial is normally around the 10 - 15% area. However, the terms are often used interchangeably. But this recipe actually has 45% fruit! You will dilute this in water of course, so it will be less, but the actual berry syrup is about 45%. Add the berries and water to a large casserole. Let it boil (covered with a lid) until the berries are pale and have released most of their juices. Make sure the berries don't break, as this will make your cordial cloudy. Add a damp old kitchen towel or cheesecloth to a large colander and the colander over a new casserole or big bowl. Pour the berry water in. Let this drip overnight (or a few hours), do not help it as this will also make the cordial cloudy. Then strain it through a sieve covered in a cheesecloth or damp old kitchen towel - remember to keep a bowl underneath.