Elderberry: Why You Should Know About This + Recipe
I get asked about elderberry syrup a lot. I bring it around to my friends houses with kids when they fall ill. I make it a lot up here in cold Minnesota, starting about October when our cold and flu season gets started. Here is a quick recipe for you to try. Its crazy easy and tasty.
1 cup DRIED Elderberries
1 Tablespoons Cinnamon chips or 1 stick
2 teaspoon Clove
1-2 teaspoons dried ginger
a few Rosehips or other Vitamin C rich dried plant. Or skip.
4 cups water
1 Cup raw honey (local is best)
Bring all but the honey to a low boil and then simmer on low for about 45 minutes. I keep the top on my pot. Strain into a jar, this recipe makes a bit over a quart jar unless you simmer with the top off. Then add your honey. Local and raw is best. Local honey helps with environmental allergies/histamine reactions and raw means its not processed so all of the amazing health benefits of honey are not lost. I think 1 cup is adequate, however, feel free to add more! If you have littles, try maple syrup or agave as a sweetener.
I store this in the fridge unless we have active illness. Then we are taking teaspoons of it all day and it lives on the counter.
Used as an immune booster and as prevention: Kids-take 1 teaspoon a day. adults-take 1 tablespoon.
At onset of sickness a few days after fevers go or symptoms start to get better: Kids- 1 teaspoon, 3 times a day, Adults: Take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.
Enjoy this amazing and simple elixir! It's tasty and customizable for your family. And way cheaper than buying at the store.
Or if you would rather keep it simple I sell elderberry kits that come with everything but the honey and the water for $15 OR a pint of syrup for $15. I don't have a products page yet, so if you want to purchase one, just contact me!
Resources:
These are the products I use: Organic Elderberry, Organic Cinnamon Chips, Organic Cloves, Wide Mouth Mason Jars
Price compare at Vitacost or just follow my Amazon links. They have the same products. I also trust Mountain Rose Herbs. But for whatever reason, may be stock when I go to buy, I have used mostly frontier for my Elderberry syrups.