Elderberry Syrup - Your secret to staying healthy this winter!
Elderberry syrup is used like a hot juice at the first sign of a cough or cold. Just 10/15ml syrup in a cup, top it up with boiling water and you've got your immune support syrup ready to go!
If you have been dying to make your own batch of Elderberry Syrup you’re in luck. We have tried many a recipe and have found “our perfect blend”.
RECIPE
Elderberries
Water to cover
3 Cinnamon sticks
10 Cloves
1 Whole Orange
1 Whole unwaxed Lemon
Honey – about 1 1/2lbs to a pint of Elderberry liquid
or
1lb of Sugar to a pint of Elderberry liquid
PREPARATION
- Remove the Elderberries from the stalks using a fork and place in a bowl.
- Fill the bowl with water and rinse berries gently.
- Let sit for approx 5 min and scoop out the top layer of unripe berries, stalks, leaves and any other things you don’t want in your syrup with with a sieve.
- Drain the water using a sieve / colander.
*Don’t stress if there are still a few stalks in-between. These will be removed further on in the process.
METHOD
- Place the berries in a saucepan and cover with cold water.
- Our added extras to boost the Vitamin C content:
– 1 x Orange. Cut up , squeeze the juice in and then add the peels
– 1 x Lemon. Cut up , squeeze the juice in and then add the peels
– 3 x Cinnamon sticks
– 10 x Cinnamon cloves - Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer gently for approx 30min.
- Then, mash the berries to extract as much juice from them as possible.
NEXT:
- Strain the liquid through a piece of muslin laid in a sieve over a bowl.
- Squeeze out all the juice
- Measure your liquid and add 1lb of sugar per 1 pint liquid. (See above Recipe if you would prefer to use Honey.)
- Pour back into the cleaned saucepan and bring to a gentle boil stirring slowly to prevent sticking until it becomes syrupy.
- Pour into sterilised bottles while still warm and seal immediately. This will create a vacuum and stop your syrup going bad.
*Some people add honey instead of sugar and a different variation of spices, this is just the way we like to do it. You’ll get to play and find your perfect blend.
And there you have it… our winter immune syrup sorted to help us fight colds and flu!
Don’t forget to label it so that you know when you made your batch!
The syrup can last up to 3 months in the fridge(opened bottle) or stored in a dark cupboard for up to a year. Some even like to freeze theirs in ice cube trays, and store in the freezer. This way you eliminate waste.
Now go get those elderberries and get cracking on your future health.
#FromNatureForNature