Homemade Elderberry Syrup. September 6, 2023.

There is a single elderberry tree on the loop we lived on in Brightwood. The village matriarch, who had lived there most of her life, introduced me to this tree. Her mother had planted the tree, she told me. She found out in one of our many conversations that I was interested in herbs and invited me to pick from the tree. Fresh elderberries were an amazing resource! There were plenty of syrups made with dried elderberries, which I was considering making, but fresh would be that much better. It was an exciting day when the berries were ripe! I picked a bowlful and went home to make my first homemade elderberry syrup.

The recipe I chose was found on the site of a renowned herbalist, Rosemary Gladstar. The method was easy and produced a very potent syrup. We would use it occasionally, but it was one incident in particular that converted me over to the elderberry for good. One summer, I had developed a bad case of allergic rhinitis from smoke that left me miserable for months. I would sneeze for hours on the couch, and my sinuses were a continual mess. Over-the-counter drugs didn’t work. Nasal rinses didn’t work. And the doctor’s prescription medicines didn’t work. However, one day I remembered from my herbalism classes that elderberry is also an anti-inflammatory. So, I began taking that every day. Over the next few weeks, my sinuses calmed down and healed. It was an amazing testament to the efficacy of the elderberry.

Homemade Elderberry Syrup

At Hidden Bluff, I am nursing along our own elderberry tree, which is still quite small. In the meantime, I was able to get fresh elderberries this season. I have made a few changes to the original recipe. Primarily, I have added more spices, especially ginger. The final product tastes like Christmas in a bottle and is delicious. This is a very strong syrup made by adding only 1/4 cup of water to 2 quarts of fresh berries. The resulting syrup is then boiled down further, concentrating it! If you can get fresh elderberries, I highly recommend this recipe. A link to the original source will be provided in the recipe below.

Ingredients

2 quarts fresh elderberries (not dried) *Make sure to pick all stems out. Stems are toxic- even when cooked.
1/4 cup water
1/2- 3/4 oz. fresh ginger root chunks
3 broken cinnamon sticks
1 heaping tsp. cloves
1 nutmeg (whole)
honey (amount will vary, but likely you will need at least 1 cup)

Instructions

Add 2 quarts of fresh elderberries to a pot with 1/4 cup of water.
Let berries simmer over medium-low heat until soft. Use a potato masher to smash berries and release juices.
When the berries are soft and have released their juices, remove from the heat and strain the juice through a sieve.
Measure the amount of juice you have and return it to the pot.
Add ginger root, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and nutmeg.
Simmer over medium-low heat until juice is halved.
Remove juice from heat and strain again. Measure juice.
Add the same amount of honey as you have juice and stir until combined.
Bottle and store in the fridge, using as needed by the teaspoonful.
Ideally, this should be used within 3 months; however, with the amount of honey in it, mine has kept for quite a few months. Use your best judgment.

Notes

The original recipe was originally found here on Rosemary Gladstar’s site. She, in turn, received it from Nancy and Michael Phillips, the authors of The Herbalist’s Way. She also provides a variation of the recipe with dried elderberries.

Have a beautiful day!

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Homemade Elderberry Syrup

Homemade Elderberry Syrup