This fall, two of our Black Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) bushes performed especially well: ‘Mikl’s’ and ‘Marge’. Black Elder is considered the most beneficial species for herbal use.
We harvested a bounty, and are happy to share our favorite way to use them.
A healthy herbal remedy used for centuries, we love making Elderberry Syrup from berries harvested from the gorgeous elderberry shrubs and trees we can grow right here in Colorado!
This easy-to-make syrup recipe comes from Boulder wellness coach and herbalist Mitten Lowe.
“I like to make homemade organic elderberry syrup with local raw honey, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves! I just made a huge batch (tripled this recipe) for family and friends. It’s so much better than the store-bought because there’s no sugar, it’s sweetened with just raw honey, and it’s all organic! I bottle it and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 months or it can also be frozen right away and used for up to a year!
In our family, adults take one tablespoon a day for maintenance and the kiddos take one teaspoon per day. You can multiply that by 4 if anybody’s fighting anything!
Elderberry blossom cluster
The recipe is so simple and requires very little work. With the exception of the elderberries, I always have all of the other ingredients on hand. I buy my elderberries from Oregon’s Wild Harvest and love many of their other products as well. Reasonably priced elderberries can be hard to find during the fall and winter, so if possible, buy in the off season. Even better: grow your own. Harlequin’s Gardens has several regionally adapted varieties that all do well here. To ensure fruiting, you must plant two different selections of the same species of Sambucus.
Ingredients:
3/4 c. dried organic elderberries
3 c. filtered or spring water
1-2 organic cinnamon sticks
1 TB organic ginger, peeled
1 tsp organic whole cloves
3/4 – 1 c. organic raw honey
Optional: Replace the cinnamon, cloves and ginger with drops of food grade cinnamon, clove and ginger essential oil.
Instructions:
- Order your elderberries ahead of time!
- In a large saucepan, bring the elderberries, cinnamon stick, cloves, ginger, and water to a boil.
- Cover and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer for 50-60 minutes.
- Cool the syrup base, but not completely. Just enough to handle so that the honey will dissolve, but not so hot that you lose the raw benefits of the honey,
- Mash the berries with a fork while still in the pan.
- Drain the liquid using a nut milk bag, cheese cloth, or fine mesh strainer. I prefer a nut milk bag.
- Be sure to press all of the liquid out of the berries
- Add the raw honey and mix well.
- Pour into glass containers or jars. Store in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to two months or freeze immediately for up to a year.
Note: Homemade elderberry syrup is not thick like syrup, more like elderberry juice!
Stay well!