11/01/2024
That sounds delicious. Where are my mamas that make homemade goodness?
Elderberry Herb Syrup
Classic Elderberry Syrup Recipe
Makes about 3 cups of syrup without alcohol, 4 cups with alcohol.
Active Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
2 cups dried organic elderberries
4 cups cold water (distilled, purified, or spring water works best)
2-3 tsp. organic dried ginger root
1 organic sweet cinnamon stick
1 cup raw, local honey (or organic maple syrup or agave for a vegan/infant-friendly recipe); double the amount of sweetener to increase shelf life
1 cup vodka or brandy (optional to increase shelf life)
Directions
Combine berries and herbs with cold water in pot and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and allow herbs to simmer 30 to 40 minutes.
Remove from heat and let steep 1 hour.
Strain berries and herbs using a funnel overlaid with doubled cheesecloth or undyed cotton muslin bag and squeeze out liquid (careful, liquid will likely still be hot!). Discard used herbs in compost.
Once liquid has cooled to just above room temperature, add honey and stir to incorporate.
If using vodka or brandy, add here and stir until well combined.
Bottle in sterilized glass 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 (glass pantry jars and amber bottles are great choices!). My family enjoys a teaspoon or two of this syrup, right out of the fridge, just about every day during the sniffle season.
Spoon filled with elder berry syrup.
Tips for Making Elderberry Syrup
SHOULD YOU USE FRESH OR DRIED ELDERBERRIES?
You can use fresh or dried elderberries for making syrup. I often use dried because they are usually easier to find and store year-round. If using fresh berries, use twice the amount of dried berries your recipe recommends.
HOW CAN YOU MAKE ELDERBERRY SYRUP SHELF STABLE?
As we covered above, syrups that are shelf stable, meaning that they are able to sit out at room temperature for a long period of time without spoiling, require more sugar, alcohol, or a combination of the two. You're going to have to add something to discourage the development of bacteria and mold. To make this syrup more family-friendly, my recipe uses less sugar and no alcohol and is intended to be kept in the refrigerator. However, if you want a more shelf stable syrup, you can double the honey in our recipe or add the optional alcohol.
IS ELDERBERRY SYRUP SAFE FOR BABIES?
Honey acts as a natural preservative as well as a sweetener (and has other healthful properties besides), so it’s my preferred choice for my herbal syrups, but it is not recommended for children less than one year old. This is because of a rare condition called infantile botulism—sounds scary, and you don’t want it! So if you’re planning to share your syrup with a very little one, you would need to substitute either sugar or maple syrup for the honey, and again, keep it in the refrigerator.
Bowl of elderberries and cinnamon.
WHAT SHOULD I COOK MY ELDERBERRY SYRUP IN?
When preparing your syrup, be sure to use a ceramic, glass, or other non-reactive pan that won’t off-gas. Pans with synthetic nonstick coatings release some nasty stuff when heated, so avoid them when making syrup. I’d discourage you from having them in your house to cook anything, anyway!
WHAT KIND OF WATER SHOULD I USE TO MAKE ELDERBERRY SYRUP?
Remember that your finished herbal product is only as good as the ingredients you start with, and that includes water. The water you include should be distilled, or it should be a good spring water or purified water, depending upon where you live and what you have access to.
CAN I ADD OTHER HERBS TO MY ELDERBERRY SYRUP?
I think one of the things that beginners often struggle with when they're just learning how to make herbal products for their home is being too rigid in how they do things. There’s not just one way to make spaghetti sauce—every chef has their own recipe, each with its own little tweaks of this or that—and the same principle applies here. So be creative with your syrups! You can add vanilla (I love a slice of vanilla bean in mine), cardamom tastes really good . . . just give yourself permission to play with the flavor. All those improvisations add extra goodness anyway!
https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/elderberry-syrup-recipe
