Simple Elderberry Syrup Recipe
I spent a bit of time re-working my "Elderberry Syrup" recipe, to make it easier for
the average person to follow. The procedure itself is so simple I can't imagine why anyone
with access to a kitchen would prefer to make tincture (unless the sugar is a problem, of
course!). I've included a couple alternative methods/recipes for people with small babies (who shouldn't get honey).
Elderberry Syrup Recipe
7 cups elderberry juice
8 ¾ cups honey
3 cups 80 proof vodka
(if you're starting with dried berries, to get "juice", put 1 cup of berries in a quart jar and
pour 2 cups of boiling water over them. If they soak it up, add a bit more. Stash in the fridge
or a cool, dark place for 24-48 hours. Then strain, and squeeze every bit of liquid you can
out- you can twist the berries in a muslin towel and get most of it) You'll need three "jars" of
the stuff to get enough for 7 cups. )
Warm the elderberry juice to “hot, but not boiling” temp… between 150 and 180°F should be
plenty. Stir in the honey and stir until it’s completely dissolved and blended.
Remove from the heat, and stir in the vodka.
Pour into sterile jars or bottles (sterilize them by boiling for 5-10 minutes in boiling water,
then let drip dry upside down until filling)
Cap and LABEL. Store in a cool DARK place (or bottle in dark brown glass)
Standard dose for adults would be:
Prophylaxis (prevention) 1 tablespoon 2x a day.
If there is active flu in your office or family, double that, or take more often.
Treatment: 1-2 tablespoons every 3-4 hours
Children under 12: half the adult dose
Toddlers and infants: Talk to your doctor! But, lacking that, 1 tsp at similar intervals to the adult dose should be adequate.
There is NO way to overdose on this! Put it in juice, jello, pour it over ice cream- any way you
can get the kids to take it is fine.
Alternatives:
If you do not want to use any alcohol in the syrup, use
7 cups elderberry juice
14 cups honey
Proceed as above, ignoring the reference to the vodka.
If you don’t want to use honey (probably best to NOT use it for babies under 1 year)
7 cups elderberry juice
11 ½ cups sugar
Linda's Original Elderberry Syrup Recipe
I take fresh (or frozen) elderberries and crush them in a stainless steel
or heavy enamelware kettle. I add a TINY bit of water (just enough to
barely cover the bottom of the kettle to keep the berries from sticking)
and heat it *gently* over *LOW* heat, stirring the whole mash up until it's
no warmer than 150°. The heat helps release the juice from the berries, but
I'm not certain of whether high heat would possible deactivate the
antiviral properties. So I'm erring on the side of caution...
I either run the whole mash through my Vitamix [Ed NOTE: NOT blender, don't want to grind the seeds up] at this point, or, if they
seem to have been quite macerated already, just pour them into a jelly bag
and let them drain. I've found that I get the most yield by putting them in
two fine mesh bags and then putting the whole thing in my cheese press and
pressing it. A cider press would work well, too. But if you don't have
anything like that, simply taking the bag of mash, and twisting it tightly
in your hands will get most of the juice out.
This is all contrary to most jelly making instructions (for those who are
wondering) because you usually end up with some of the berry pulp in the
juice. Since my goal is medicine, not "clear" jelly, I don't mind this a
bit.
Anyway, once you've got your juice, you need to add enough sugar to
preserve it. I've found that a equal ratio of sugar to juice by volume is
sufficient- IF YOU WILL ADD ALCOHOL to help preserve it for storage. If you
have an objection to any alcohol in the mix, you then need to use a 5:3
ratio of sugar to juice... this will give you a saturated syrup high enough
in sugar so it won't spoil at room temperature.
If you prefer using honey, you need to use a slightly higher ratio....
approximately 11/4 cups of honey to every cup of juice. This is because of
the water content already in the honey. Or, if you want to use pure honey
without any added alcohol, you need a 2:1 honey/juice ratio.
Anyway.... stir in the sugar or honey into the warm juice, until it's all
completely dissolved. If you've used the lower 1:1 ratio, at this point you
need to add some alcohol for preservative. I've used Blackberry Brandy
quite frequently for this... hoping to get some of the astringent and
stimulant effects of the blackberry in the mix. If you use brandy, you need
to add 3-4 ounces per pint of syrup.
If you simply want the alcohol as a preservative, you can add 3 ounces of
100 proof vodka, or about 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of 160 proof vodka per
pint of syrup. (we can't get pure grain alcohol here... if you can, you can
use 1 1/2 ounces of that instead).
Stir it gently, and decant it into STERILIZED jars or bottles. Use the same
techniques you'd use when canning jelly- except this won't be hot enough
for you to expect the seals to seal completely. As long as you sterilized
the jars and the lids before bottling it, it shouldn't be necessary for it
to seal.
LABEL IT!! You always think you'll remember what is in those jars, or when
you made it. Wanna bet!? LOL! Seriously- make sure you put the date and at
least whether or not there is anything but elderberry and sugar in there.
Store it in a cool, dark place (dark is especially important if you are
using clear glass jars).
This fall I'm going to simmer some blackberry root (and add some berries)
in one batch of elderberries. Blackberry has a nicely potent effect against
diarrhea... it was traditionally used when folks got "summer complaint"-
which was usually food poisoning.
Elderberry info on Time Bomb 2000
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