blue elderberries, rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and healing qualities are combined w/ the benefits of raw honey to make both a delicious treat and a healing tonic. elderberry syrup is good taken by the teaspoon in warm water for chest colds, congestion, sinus discomforts and the flu every 2-3 hours. alternatively, pour it on pancakes or mix w/ a little brandy for a tasty antioxidant blast.
ripe blue elderberries (red berries are poisonous and conical in overall shape, stay away from these)
filtered water
raw honey
we made a large soup pot worth of the elderberries resulting in 2 1/2 quarts; at a minimum, use 1 cup of berries to 3 cups of water. remove berries from stems and place in a pot. (if your berries are ripe, you can easily hold the stem w/ one hand and finger them off w/ the other.) cover completely w/ 2 inches of water and bring just to a boil them immediately reduce to a low simmer. continue to simmer until water has reduced to half. remove from heat, let cool a bit. pour into a blender and blend on low for a few seconds or mash in the pan w/ a hand masher or blend shortly w/ a hand blender. strain into mason jars and let cool to room temp. for a thicker syrup, use a 2:1 ratio of elderberry water to honey. for a thinner syrup use a 3:1 ratio. once you’ve combined honey to your jar of elderberry decoction, fasten w/ a lid and shakey-shake-shake it till you’ve got syrup. this refrigerates well for a few months.