Elderberry Syrup

Oops, but good!

I’ve heard about Elderberry syrup for decades, but I never got around to making it until last night. Elderberries are small, black-purple berries that grow on the Sambucus tree, also known as the European elderberry or black elder.

Elderberry syrup is known as a powerful cold-preventative and remedy and has been used for thousands of years. Just one cup of berries contains about 58% of the recommended daily value of vitamin C. Elderberries contain a high amount of anthocyanins and have been shown to have prebiotic, antimicrobial, and antiviral effects.

Note: Raw elderberry — and also the seeds, leaves, and stem of the tree — can be toxic. Only consume cooked. Also, raw honey should not be consumed by children under the age of one.

I purchased my elderberries from Mountain Rose Herbs. I dried the ginger myself, have vanilla beans (always, mainly for my homemade vanilla extract), cinnamon sticks, and the raw honey is local and given to me by a friend who loves her bees!

As always, I did significant research on how to make elderberry syrup. I have been a big fan of Dr. Tieraona Low Dog for many years, so I decided to make her recipe. (in the link, and below with my edits). The berries and water were on the stove, being brought to a boil, when I realized I used twice as much water as the recipe called for. I then did more research as to what to do and discovered that many people use more water to make their syrup, so I carried on as is. Since I was winging it now, I added 2 vanilla beans to my mixture.

Here is Dr. Low Dog’s Recipe with my changes noted in bold. I also changed some verbiage and punctuation, but didn’t note those edits

Classic Elderberry Syrup Recipe

Makes about 3 cups of syrup without alcohol, 4 cups with alcohol. I did not use alcohol, and my quantity was different

Ingredients

• 2 cups dried organic elderberries

• 4 cups cold water (distilled, purified, or spring water works best) I used 8 cups

• 2-3 teaspoons organic dried ginger. I used more—see the photo of the spices on the berries

• 1 organic cinnamon stick I used 2

• 1 cup raw honey (or organic maple syrup or agave for a vegan/infant-friendly recipe); double the amount of sweetener to increase shelf life. I ended up with 5 cups; therefore, I used 2 ½ cups of raw honey.

• 1 cup vodka or brandy (optional to increase shelf life) I did not use alcohol, so I will keep the syrup in the fridge

• I added 2 vanilla beans, not shown in the photo with the spices on the berries

Directions

1. Combine berries and herbs with cold water in a pot and bring to a boil.

2. Reduce the heat and allow the spices to simmer 30 to 40 minutes. Since I used more water than the recipe called for, I simmered the syrup for almost an hour to reduce. I end up with 5 cups.

3. Remove from heat and let steep 1 hour.

4. Strain the berries and spices using doubled cheesecloth or an undyed cotton muslin bag and squeeze out liquid (careful, liquid will likely still be hot!). Discard used berries and spices in the compost.

5. Once the liquid has cooled to just above room temperature, add the honey and stir to incorporate. Raw honey is used to preserve the syrups’ beneficial properties, like antioxidants and antimicrobial compounds. It is crucial to add the raw honey only after the elderberry mixture has cooled to prevent high heat from destroying the beneficial compounds.

6. If using vodka or brandy, add here and stir until well combined. I did not use.

7. Bottle in a sterilized glass jar and store in the refrigerator.

Pro tips:

• Be sure to add honey in a ratio that is at least half of the total volume of liquid after it has simmered. This amount can change slightly, and you want to make sure you have enough preservative (honey) so that your syrup won’t spoil. (Example: If you are left with 2 cups of elderberry decoction, you will want to add at least 1 cup of honey.)

• This recipe is easy to multiply if you’d like to make a big batch to store or give as gifts. My family enjoys a teaspoon or two of this syrup, right out of the fridge, just about every day during the sniffle season.

For adults, the common recommendation is 1 tablespoon a day and 1 teaspoon for children. It will last for 45-60 days in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!