Elderberry Syrup Immunity BoosterL
Last week I posted about the Lemon Ginger Wellness Tea that my whole family loves to drink all winter long. We love that for keeping the winter cruds at bay…. But… sometimes it’s not enough. My husband and I are both public school teachers and the boys are in school all day so it’s inevitable that one or more of us needs something a little bit stronger. That’s when I turn to Elderberry Syrup. I first heard about Elderberry Syrup when I moved to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. When you get sick in these parts everyone offers up their version of a home cure. But Elderberry syrup came up over and over. I ran to our natural foods market. Even the cheapest bottle was $12 for 8oz - but I gave it a shot. I won’t say that it’s a miracle cure ...but it works! From the moment I started taking the elderberry syrup I felt like I was getting healthier and not sicker. I asked around and found some pretty great recipes for making my own syrup. Now I can make a gallon of immune boosting syrup for the same price as the small bottle at the health food store. You will need just a few ingredients to make your own. The syrup will last a week in your fridge. I like to freeze mine in ice cube trays so that the syrup lasts longer. I love these Mumi&Bubi trays for this. I received these 10 years ago as a baby gift and use them ALL the time. (coffee ice cubes, pesto, etc) They are really sturdy and have stood the test of time in my busy kitchen. Recipe: 1 cup Dried Organic Elderberries 4 cups of Water 1 cup Raw Honey (local is best, but I want to give a shout out to my favorite Vermont Honey ) Add all ingredients to a large pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. When it’s done I like to flavor it with more immunity boosting Essential Oils. Favorites are clove, cinnamon, ginger and Wild Orange. Just a few drops of one or more go a long way for delicious flavor.
Let the mixture cool a bit and then strain. I like to get out my largest pyrex liquid measuring glass and strain into this. It makes pouring into the ice cube trays SO much easier. It’s also perfect way to make myself a little Elderberry Spritzer with some seltzer.
