I found an elderberry bush on my neighbor's land, and after securing permission (he had no idea what it was, actually cuts it down every year), the kids and I began picking. At first I was thinking jelly, but didn't think I had enough berries for that, so then I did some browsing and came up with elderberry syrup.
Elderberry is known for its medicinal properties, both in the flower and the berry. Next year I will pick some flowers, but for this year, it's the berries.
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| The berries after rinsing. |
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| Sorting--taking off stems, tossing yucky ones. Very tedious. |
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| Finally in the pot! I used 2/3 cup for this. |
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| My helper adding 3 cups of water. Now to simmer until reduced and then we'll strain out the berries add 1 cup of local raw honey once the liquid has cooled. The honey will make the syrup palatable and also add more good stuff. |
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Finished product! It will keep 3 months in the fridge. It tastes pretty good, I think. My kids complain, but it the syrup helps strengthen their immune system, then they'll just have to deal with it. It could be worse, like, cod liver oil, you know? I try to give the kids 1 teaspoon daily. Some are more willing than others.
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