Elderberry Immune Syrup

Yield: 3 cups (Serving size: 1-2 tablespoons for adults)

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Make a batch of elderberry syrup at the end of summer with your fresh berry harvest to have on hand for fall’s cold and flu season. Use it anytime you need an immune system boost or you start to feel a little something coming on. The addition of raw honey makes this concoction extra special, as honey has medicinal and nutritional properties of its own, including antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory compounds. You can use dried berries if fresh ones are not available. Simply soak a half cup of dried elderberries in water overnight before using. Feel free to omit the echinacea or any of the other herbs and use this syrup on pancakes, waffles or yogurt—a spoonful of sugar does help the medicine go down, remember!

Ingredients

1 cup fresh or rehydrated elderberries

1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, minced

2 tablespoons dried echinacea root

1–2 cinnamon sticks

1 teaspoon whole cloves

2 cups water

2 cups raw honey or sugar

Other optional add-ins: 1–2 teaspoons of any of the following—orange peel, cardamom pods, star anise, rose hips, elecampane or wild cherry bark (great for coughs!)

Directions

1. Combine the elderberries, ginger, echinacea, cinnamon sticks, cloves and water in a medium saucepan. If using sugar for sweetener, add it in this step. Bring the ingredients to a boil.

2. Reduce the heat, letting the mixture simmer for about 30–45 minutes until reduced by half. Stir frequently, mashing the berries to release more juice as you stir, if using fresh elderberries. This should give you about 1 cup of liquid. The syrup should be a dark purple color when ready.

3. Remove the syrup from the heat and strain out the solids through a fine mesh strainer, letting the juice cool slightly.

4. While still warm, whisk in the honey to combine. If your honey is crystallized, you can heat the mixture slightly to get it well-combined, but be sure not to boil the syrup.

5. Transfer the syrup to a glass storage container and refrigerate until ready to use. This will keep up to 3 months in the fridge.