Elderberry Syrup
3 cups filtered water
3/4 to 1 cup dried elderberries
1/3 to 1 cup honey
Optional:
Cinnamon stick (or ground cinnamon)
Whole cloves
Fresh ginger (or ground ginger)
Tea towel, cheesecloth
Pomegranate juice
Yield: 2-3 cups
(1) Add berries and spices to water, heat until boiling.
(2) Reduce heat to keep from a constant boil (high temperatures will destroy some of the nutrients) and continue cooking for 20-30 minutes.
(3) Remove from heat and let cool. Straining the berries will be messy. You can use a thin tea (or flour sack) towel, but it will never be white again. We prefer to use cheesecloth. Place berries in cheesecloth and squeeze. Yes, your hands will be purple for a bit, but it washes off. If you don't have a tea towel or cheesecloth, I have had moderate success with a mesh metal strainer.
(4) Add honey after you have strained the berries from the juice. We typically only use 1/3 c or less of honey. I've been told that the honey lengthens the shelf life, but our family of 4 never has a problem going through a batch this size.
Yield: I said 2 cups, but have found the final amount to be dependent on how long you simmer/ cook the berries. Boiling drastically reduces the yield. I've experimented with keeping a lid on it without boiling, which seems to work great. I've also been known to reuse the berries a second time after straining them. The color isn't quite as dark as the first batch, but I mix it with the first batch and this normally gets me to 3 cups after I add the honey.
We have found that elderberry juice tastes delicious (but very strong) when paired with pomegranate juice. This replaces the need for spices and honey.
