Elderberries

It’s almost that time of year again. Kids are back in school and the leaves are starting to look a little rusty (at least here in New Hampshire!) 

In the fall I usually give my children cod liver oil to boost their vitamin D and have elderberry syrup on hand to help keep away our version of the “evil eye”… those seasonal flus and colds that kids are so keen on sharing during the school year.

To be totally honest, I think my children took their cues on how to respond to these good motherly measures from a dog named Cooper.

I used to spend dozens of dollars a year on elderberry syrup. But to my delight, I have discovered that we have several elderberry trees on our property here! I’ve been watching them with glee as they have flowered and developed their berries. And I’ve been holding my breath, waiting for them to ripen!

Today I decided it was “the” day to pick them. They looked ripe enough and ready for making into syrup. I had dreams of making some jam too, if I could harvest enough!

So, anyway… there I was. Bowl in hand. Walking out to the trees with a smile on my face and a breeze in my hair. Sunlight was streaming down between the kinds of clouds that make rainbows if you aren’t careful. And then I stopped and dropped my jaw in awe.

They were GONE. Well, most of them at least. Perfectly picked from the bottom branches to about 7 feet off the ground. The only ones that remained were in the back and inaccessible without shimmying through a million grabby  branches or way up high where I couldn’t reach!

Deer aren’t that tall. Black bears aren’t either. The only animal I knew of in the area that could reach that high would be a … MOOSE.

I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that I was battling a moose for my elderberries. And considering that he was probably here before I was, maybe it was I who was stealing HIS berries?

I settled for pulling the branches toward me so I could reach some of them. I only got about a cup of them, but that was enough for one batch of elderberry syrup. I’m posting the recipe I’m using below, with some of my own adjustments:

• 2/3 cup elderberries
• 3.5 cups of distilled water
• 2 T fresh ginger root, sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 T cloves
• 1 cup raw honey

Clean and pick out any stems or other matter from the elderberries.

Pour water into medium saucepan that has been washed thoroughly and add the elderberries, ginger, cinnamon and cloves (do not add honey!)

Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce to a simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour until the liquid has reduced by almost half. At that point, remove from heat and let cool enough to be handled. Pour through a strainer into a sterilized glass jar or bowl. The cleaner everything is, the longer the syrup will last.

Compost the remaining organic matter from the strainer and let the liquid cool to lukewarm. When it is no longer hot, add 1 cup of honey and stir well.

When honey is well mixed into the elderberry mixture, pour the syrup into a pint sized mason jar or 16 ounce glass bottle of some kind.

Ta Da! You just made homemade elderberry syrup! Store in the fridge and take daily for its immune boosting properties. Some sources recommend taking only during the week and not on the weekends to boost immunity.

Standard dose is 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp for kids and 1/2 Tbsp to 1 Tbsp for adults. If the flu does strike, take the normal dose every 2-3 hours instead of once a day until symptoms disappear.

… and don’t forget your cod liver oil! (if you were here you’d hear my kids moaning in the background)