How to Make Elderberry Syrup
Cough, cold and flu season is here and we’ve been hearing quite a bit about the benefits of taking Elderberry Syrup. If you didn’t know already, Elderberries act as an immune booster and can help naturally alleviate symptoms of the common cold or flu.
Elderberries are an antioxidant and are high in vitamin A, B and C. These berries are a natural alternative that is effective for preventing and treating a cold or the flu. Read more about the benefits of black elderberries here.
Making Elderberry Syrup is one of the more common ways to get the benefits from this plant, as you cannot consume uncooked (raw) Elderberries. Certainly, you can buy elderberry syrup pre-packaged, or you could make it yourself. It’s really easy!
Elderberry Syrup
2/3 cup Dried Black Elderberries (Available at most natural food stores.)
3 ½ cups of Water
2 tablespoons Ginger Root (fresh or dried)
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
½ teaspoon Cloves
1 cup Raw Honey (buy local if you can)
Pour water into a saucepan and add elderberries, ginger, cinnamon and cloves (do not add honey yet).
Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce to a simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour until the liquid has reduced by almost half. (The smell of the elderberries cooking is quite strong. Be sure to crack a window or turn on your exhaust fan.)
Remove from heat and let cool enough to handle.
Pour syrup through a strainer or cheesecloth. Reserve all liquid. (Discard the elderberries.)
Once the liquid is no longer hot, add the honey. Stir until the honey is dissolved.
Pour syrup into a couple pint jars, or a quart jar. Cap with a ReCAP lid for easy pouring.
Store it in the fridge. It will last a few weeks.
Standard dose is 1/2 tsp. to 1 tsp. for kids and 1/2 Tbsp. to 1 Tbsp. for adults.
TIPS:
- If you (or your kids) aren’t big on cloves or ginger, you can omit, although ginger does add it’s own health benefits to the syrup.
- Another variation of this recipe is to add some cherry juice to taste.
- The syrup can be taken alone. Sometimes we like it mixed in our oatmeal or yogurt, and some even enjoy it on their pancakes.
Note: The material contained in this blog post, including information on natural remedies, homeopathy, and alternative medicine, is for informational purposes only. This information should not replace professional advice by a qualified medical or herbal practitioner.
Can this be made ahead and then processed in a water bath to capture large batches? Can you also use fresh elderberries?
We have not canned this recipe ourselves. There are some recipes for canning Elderberry Syrup on Punk Domestics, and some of these recipes have used fresh elderberries. Read more here http://www.punkdomestics.com/category/tags/elderberry-syrup
Can you eat elderberries? Could you make muffins instead of discarding? Or would they not taste right?
There are different varieties of elderberries. For this recipe we used black elderberries, which should not be consumed when raw. We haven’t made muffins with the discarded berries and stems, just added them to the compost pile. I would suggest reading this, as it explains the difference between the different types of elderberries, as they are not all the same. http://normsfarms.com/are-elderberry-bushes-poisonous/