Elderberry syrup

Ingredients for Elderberry Syrup

• 2/3 cup dried elderberries (I buy these—a package lasts ages)
• 3 1/2 cups of water
• 2-in. nub of fresh ginger-root, roughly chopped
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1/2 tsp. whole cloves
• Rind of one orange
• 1 cup raw honey

Step 1: Cook the elderberry mixture

Add all ingredients EXCEPT  the HONEY to a medium saucepan. Bring it to a boil on high heat. Once it starts to boil, reduce heat. Let the elderberry mixture simmer for 45-60 minutes until the liquid is reduced by half.

Remove from heat and let cool for about 30 minutes. Pour the mixture over a mesh strainer, into a GLASS measuring cup. Let the mixture cool until it is lukewarm. 

Step 2: Let it cool

Step 3: Finish the elderberry syrup recipe

Add honey and stir until it’s well incorporated. Behold, your own homemade elderberry syrup! Then pour the contents into jars or bottles and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

My Takeaways on Homemade Elderberry Syrup

Now, when cool weather rolls around, my son and I take “Immunity Booster” every morning—a teaspoon for him, a tablespoon for me. If we’re actively battling illness, we have it two or three times a day.

This elderberry syrup recipe tastes like what you’d expect: a sweetly spiced berry syrup.

Elderberry Syrup Benefits

The fruit of the Sambucus nigra plant, elderberries are high in vitamins A and C and anthocyanins (antioxidants that give the berries their bluish-purple hue), among other nutritional goodies. It turns out that our ancestors discovered their medicinal value long ago, and like a lot of other long-loved natural remedies—like turmeric—elderberries are bursting into the mainstream.