Elderberry Tonic (Syrup)

Making Elderberry Syrup

Ingredients

• Elderberries
• Fresh Ginger, grated: 1 Tablespoon per cup of berries (or 1 teaspoon if you are using dried ginger)
• Ground Cinnamon: 1 teaspoon per cup of berries (or a piece of whole cinnamon stick)
• Ground Cloves:  1/4 teaspoon per cup of berries (or 1-2 individual whole cloves)
• Raw Honey, preferably local: 1/2 cup per cup of berries

What to Do:

1.  Gather the elderberries from wild trees (or order online from the farm when in season). Berries must be black to be fully ripe, do not use green berries.

2.  Use a fork to pull the berries from their stems, collecting them in a pot.  Pull out as many small bits of stem as you can, but don’t get obsessive about it.  Give them a little rinse. TIP: Freeze berries first, then remove the stems while still frozen as they fall off the stem much easier this way. Use gloves to handle them if you don’t want purple fingers.

3.  Add water— 1:1 cups water-to berry ratio for fresh, and 2:1 for dried.

4.  Add ginger, ground cinnamon and cloves.

5.  Bring to a boil on the stove, then reduce heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes, then allow to cool.

6.  Strain the liquid from the berries using a sieve, pressing on with a wooden spoon to get all of the juice out. You can also use cheesecloth to squeeze the berries.

7.  Add raw honey– local, if possible for the best health benefits– to the elderberry liquid.  Stir until well mixed, and decant into clean jars or bottles. Store in the refrigerator. TIP: steam sterilize your jars and bottle while hot, for the longest shelf life of your syrup.

Take a teaspoonful daily during cold and flu season, or use it in delicious ways: as a pancake syrup, mixed into yogurt, as a drink mixer… There are so many ways to enjoy it, so even if you never get sick, it’s a fun thing to have on hand.  You can also use this tonic to make fermented elderberry soda!   Just dilute to the sweetness of juice and follow the instructions for fermenting from there.

Check out the rest of this blog post from “And Here We Are”