hello hello + i thought i would share how to make an elderberry syrup today. i love elderberry syrup, its so simple and delicious. in fact it is much cheaper to make, than purchasing it. even if you buy the elderberries. which i would totally recommend, not everyone lives where elderberries grow. and there is no shame in the fact that you are busy and don't have time to locate and harvest elderberries. plus the birds love them, and they don't have the privilege of online shopping, haha. here is how it all comes together for me.
last fall i did in fact harvest a bunch of wild blue elderberries. however i have not been able to locate them in, around, or near the eureka area. if you have please feel free to fill me in, leave a comment....
i discovered these near libby, that whole area has a lot of elderberries growing all over the place. the blue elderberry sambucus cerulea is everywhere. however, that is a long way to travel just for elderberries. they can be purchases from mountain rose herbs, they are sambucus nigra. most elderberries have the same properties, black or blue anyway. if they are bright red sambucus racemosa, they should be avoided. the elderberries i used in this recipe where frozen. i froze these last fall. miss josephine and i attended a few fall harvest festivals, down by libby and troy. i was able to harvest on the way home. but by all means, use dried if this isn't an option for you.
the basic recipe is as follows:
1 cup fresh or frozen elderberries
or 1/2 cup dried elderberries
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 cups water
1 cup honey
optional, if you have available, or access too. nice additions, but not necessary.
1/2 cup dried hawthorn berries
or rosehips (1 cup fresh)
3 tablespoons elderberry tincture
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i place everything, minus the honey in a pan. bring to boil, and let simmer until is has cooked down, like half in size. it took about 45 minutes, maybe an hour. i just kept walking by and giving a good stir. when it was cooked down, i strained it. then mixed in the honey, which took some serious mixing there for a minute or two.
at this point i add the tincture, again this is optional. if you have it great, if not don't worry about it. i offer it at my website simplyjosephine.com, however at the moment i am out of stock.
once i have it all mixed together, i bottle it.
okay haha, i don't know why but i wrote 5~5~18, when i meant 3~5~18, i think i was just looking at the calendar trying to make sure i wrote the 5th. but anyway haha, one of those things. you only have so much of yourself to devote, right? make sure to keep this in the fridge, unless you are going to consume it within the week. which is quite possible with the flu season full on. adding the tincture will help preserve it a little longer than that. i have a tea cup and feed the children about 2 tablespoons at a time, up to several times a day, if they are sick. my children are 9 and 13. if you had smaller children obviously use less. one thing to keep in mind, if you have given it to them, they respond well, give it to them liberally. herbal medicine is not pharmaceutical medicine, it usually takes a lot more, and a lot more frequently. its nutritive, and you can't have too much, keep that in mind as you are dosing. sometimes i even mix the elderberry syrup with sparkling water and lemon or lime, make a "mocktail" out of it. kids and adults like that. anyway i wish you all a happy and healthy spring, get well and be well....from my family to yours namaste
miss josephine herself....
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