ELDERBERRY SYRUP
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INGREDIENTS
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DIRECTIONS
1. Pour dried elderberries, cinnamon stix, and cloves into your pot and cover with 1 quart water. Bring to a low boil then turn heat down and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. After 30 minutes remove from heat, add rosehips, and let steep for another 10 minutes as it cools.
Rosehips are added now rather than along with the elderberries to preserve the Vitamin C quality that is sensitive to heat. The straining process can be messy and elderberries stain, so it is recommended to wear gloves and an apron.
3. Line an 8 cup Pyrex measuring glass or bowl with a clean tea towel and then line with paper towels. This ensures there will be less mess after the berry pulp is strained. It can be easily removed in the paper towel and thrown into the compost. The tea towel can be rinsed and laundered and used again.
4. Now that your Pyrex is lined, pour in the berry mixture and pull up the sides of the towel to press out the mixture.
It will resemble a ball that you squeeze or milk like a nut milk bag. You can actually use a nutmilk bag, but I like the paper towel step because it allows for easier cleanup and lest berry juice spray all over the kitchen. Remember to keep all the dark, berry infused liquid gold in your bowl. There will be about 2 cups juice.
5. Now you can add the remaining ingredients: raw honey, lemon juice, and raw apple cider vinegar. The berry juice will be warm, so it will incorporate and melt the honey, but still keep it raw and unheated. Now your syrup is finished and ready to be bottled in a cute glass apothecary jar to make it more official.
2. After 30 minutes remove from heat, add rosehips, and let steep for another 10 minutes as it cools.
Rosehips are added now rather than along with the elderberries to preserve the Vitamin C quality that is sensitive to heat. The straining process can be messy and elderberries stain, so it is recommended to wear gloves and an apron.
3. Line an 8 cup Pyrex measuring glass or bowl with a clean tea towel and then line with paper towels. This ensures there will be less mess after the berry pulp is strained. It can be easily removed in the paper towel and thrown into the compost. The tea towel can be rinsed and laundered and used again.
4. Now that your Pyrex is lined, pour in the berry mixture and pull up the sides of the towel to press out the mixture.
It will resemble a ball that you squeeze or milk like a nut milk bag. You can actually use a nutmilk bag, but I like the paper towel step because it allows for easier cleanup and lest berry juice spray all over the kitchen. Remember to keep all the dark, berry infused liquid gold in your bowl. There will be about 2 cups juice.
5. Now you can add the remaining ingredients: raw honey, lemon juice, and raw apple cider vinegar. The berry juice will be warm, so it will incorporate and melt the honey, but still keep it raw and unheated. Now your syrup is finished and ready to be bottled in a cute glass apothecary jar to make it more official.
DOSING & USAGE
Elderberry syrup is great for lessening the duration of a cold or flu as well as preventing the onset in others in the home. Our family will also take a dose or two over the course of the day whenever we are around illness, as a preventive; or if a member of the family is coming down with something.
ADULTS: 2 teaspoons, 4 times daily (at sign of first symptoms)
CHILDREN: 1 teaspoon, 4 times daily (at sign of first symptoms)
For daily maintenance, three to five days after first symptoms occur:
ADULTS: 2 teaspoons daily
CHILDREN: 1 teaspoon daily
ADULTS: 2 teaspoons, 4 times daily (at sign of first symptoms)
CHILDREN: 1 teaspoon, 4 times daily (at sign of first symptoms)
For daily maintenance, three to five days after first symptoms occur:
ADULTS: 2 teaspoons daily
CHILDREN: 1 teaspoon daily