syrup
Elderberry syrup
The jar you reach for at the first scratch in the throat. Cooked, honeyed, shelf-stable enough for a cellar.
Honey is not for babies under one year. This is comfort and an old winter habit, not an antiviral prescription.
- Time
- About 1 hour, plus cooling
- Yield
- About 3 cups from 4 cups berries
Method
- 1.Use only ripe cooked-safe American elderberries. Strip them from the stems — stems are not food. 4 cups berries, 4 cups water.
- 2.Simmer 30–40 minutes until the berries collapse. Mash. Strain through cloth. Compost the seeds and skins.
- 3.Measure the juice. Add half as much honey by volume (2 cups juice → 1 cup honey) off the boil, stir until dissolved. For a thicker cough syrup, equal parts honey.
- 4.Optional: a thumb of chopped ginger, a stick of spicebush twigs, or a cinnamon stick in the simmer — strain them out.
- 5.Bottle in scalded jars. Fridge if you have one. Cellar-cool and use in 2–3 months, or freeze, or add a splash of brandy (¼ cup per pint) to keep it longer.