Making elderberry syrup is a simple thing to do and it is packed full of vitamins and antioxidants.
To Make Elderberry Syrup, You Will Need:
- dried elderberries
- dried rose hips
- fresh ginger
- cinnamon sticks
- dried cloves
- an orange
- water
- raw honey or organic maple syrup
- sauce pan
- sieve or colander with cheese cloth
Since reading about the benefits of Astragalus, I have begun adding a couple tablespoons of dried astragalus to this when it cooks as well.
Note: The cinnamon sticks, cloves, and orange peel are purely for flavor and can be omitted if you wish.
Elderberry Health Benefits
Elderberries have a long history of being used for health that dates all the way back to ancient Greece and Egypt.
Elderberries are of the genus, Sambucus. It is a flowering plant or shrub that is native to Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia, but can also be found in the United States. We have it growing wild here on our farm. Th plant has white flowers (elderflowers) and berries that turn from green to red to black when they are ripe.
Some of the health benefits attributed to elderberries include naturally helping sinus issues, inflammation, allergies, and is one of the top natural antiviral herbs. It is frequently used as a preventative during cold and flu season, but if it is taken right away when symptoms start, it is said to drastically shorten the recovery time of a virus.
Elderberries are high in Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, iron, and potassium, as well as others.
About Rose Hips
Rose hips are the edible false fruit of a rose bush. They are extremely rich in Vitamin C, beta carotene, manganese, Vitamin K, and Vitamin E. They also contain beneficial phytochemicals like flavonoids and phenols.
With the benefits that exist in elderberries and rose hips, it is no wonder that they have recently become so popular in the natural health circles. I have even seen prepared elderberry gummies for the first time in the supplement section of the grocery store this year.
The ingredients simply cook together and create a rich concentrated tea of all the good things in there.
Once you have cooked the liquid until it reduces by half, you will strain everything out. I give the leftover solids to my chickens. They love this treat!
The syrup is then cooled slightly and sweetened with honey – local and raw is preferred if you have access to it.
To watch the episode where I am talking about Elderberry Syrup on YouTube, click here.
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How to Make Homemade Elderberry Syrup
Ingredients
- ⅔ c dried elderberries
- ¼ c dried rose hips
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 orange, you will use the peel
- 3 ½ c water
- 1 c raw honey, or organic maple syrup
Instructions
- Combine the elderberries, rose hips, ginger, cloves, cinnamon sticks, peel of the orange, and the water in a saucepan.
- Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat a little, and cook over medium heat until the liquid is reduced by half. This will take about 30 minutes.
- Remove it from the heat and cool to room temperature.
- Strain the syrup through a sieve or a colander lined with cheese cloth.
- Add in the honey or maple syrup, then stir to combine. (I recommend adding only half of the honey or syrup to begin with. Give it a taste and see if you need to add the rest.)
- Store the syrup in an air tight container, refrigerated for up to 2 months. (I have read that it can store much longer in the fridge, but we never keep it around that long as we use it often.)
Video
Notes
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- Children under the age of 2 should not have honey. If you are giving this to children, you may wish to use the maple syrup option.
- This recipe is provided for informational purposes only and does not come from a doctor or medical professional. Please do your own homework to determine if elderberry syrup is the right choice for you.
- The cinnamon sticks, cloves, and orange peel are purely for flavor and can be omitted if you wish.
- Since reading about Astragalus, I have started adding a couple tablespoons of dried astragalus to this when I combine the ingredients to simmer.
Nutrition
If nutritional values are provided for this recipe, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands of ingredients you use. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste or for serving. If nutritional values are very important to you, I suggest using your favorite nutritional calculating tool with the brands you use.
Unit Conversions:
Unit Conversion for measurements (if displayed), going from US to Metric is an auto-generated conversion. If you are using the metric measurements, please double-check to confirm that these are accurate with your favorite preferred conversion tool.
I’m excited to try out this recipe! We’ve purchased elderberry immune syrup before and it can be pretty pricey. After your syrup is drained and the honey is added how do you store it? Is it shelf stable and for how long? I’m making my first fire cider currently as well im hoping they’ll both be able to stay on the shelf to get us through this winter
Hi Constance!
I follow your YouTube channel as well and have loved checking out your blog! Yes, I am a blogger, but would love to someday, get into Vlogging.
I love Elderberry syrup and make it all the time for the health benefits of it. I normally use dried Elderberries but was gifted a big gallon size bag of fresh frozen berries a few months ago. I absolutely love them! I can’t wait to try your recipe, it looks delicious. We usually put ours in our kefir milk in the evening, it’s so good.
You are such an inspiration to me…thank you for sharing your knowledge!!
Blessings,
Barb
Thank you Barb! Wow, what a great gift to receive! I currently have some little cuttings in my window rooting, so hopefully I can get a good bit of elderberry growing here. :)