How to Make Elderberry Syrup with Fresh or Dried Elderberries

The following article How to Make Elderberry Syrup with Fresh or Dried Elderberries is courtesy of Total Survival

In this post we'll share how to make elderberry syrup with fresh or dried elderberries or elderberry juice. I noticed years ago that the ingredient lists on most commercial elderberry syrups for kids doesn't contain much elderberry. Now we make our own so we know it's the real deal.

Note: If you're looking for the elderberry jelly recipes, those have been moved to their own post at Elderberry Jelly Recipes – Low Sugar and Sure-Jell Options.

The first time I made elderberry syrup, my friend,Tami, harvested and processed a ton of berries into juice. (You can see how she processed the fresh elderberries into juice in the elderberry jelly post.) She brought over about half her bounty later in the week, and we set to work making fresh elderberry syrup with lemon and cloves and elderberry syrup with honey and cinnamon. Since then, I use fresh elderberries or juice when I have them available, and dried elderberries when I don't.

You can double or triple the canned syrups (we made quadruple batches). Just adjust the sugar and other ingredients accordingly. If you have an abundance of elderberries, the honey elderberry syrup makes a pretty good pancake syrup, too.

Short Cuts if You Don't Have Your Own Elderberries

The dried elderberry syrup is the most economical, but I think the juice based syrups have a slightly better berry flavor. If you don't have your own elderberry juice, Wyldewood Cellars elderberry concentrate is one of the few products on the market that is made with pure elderberry juice and water.

Gaia Herbs Black Elderberry Syrup is USDA certified organic elderberry syrup, and is made with Organic Black Elderberry, Organic Acerola fruit, Vitamin C (from Organic Acerola), Organic cane sugar, water, lemon juice.

Click here to purchase dried elderberries

Order Wyldewood Cellars elderberry concentrate

Order Gaia Herbs Black Elderberry Syrup

Elderberry Syrup Recipe Using Dried Elderberries

Adapted from Mountain Rose Herbs

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dried organic Elderberries (4 ounces) Click here to purchase dried elderberries.
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup raw local honey
• 1 organic cinnamon stick
• 5 organic cloves
• 1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger or a pinch of dried organic Ginger root (optional)

Directions

Place berries, water, and spices in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until liquid is reduce by one half. Strain the mixture into a bowl, squishing juice out of the berries. Stir in honey. Allow to cool and stored in a sealed jar in the refrigerator. Will last for 2-3 weeks stored in the fridge.

Elderberry Syrup Recipe with Lemon and Cloves

This recipe hails from Ashridge Trees in the UK. We adapted it to use what we had on hand.

Ingredients

• 1 pint elderberry juice
• 1 lb (450g) of sugar per pint of juice
• Juice of one lemon per pint of liquid
• 10 cloves per pint of liquid

Directions

Sterilize two 16-ounce (or four 8-ounce) jars, keep hot. Heat lids and rings in hot water, keep warm but not boiling. Fill water bath canner and bring to boil.

Combine all ingredients in a large, non-reactive pot. Heat and stir until all sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil and boil for ten minutes (this infuses the flavor of the spices into the syrup).

Ladle hot syrup into sterilized jars leaving 1/4″ headspace. Wipe rims clean and screw on the lids. Process for 10 minutes in water bath canner (add 1 minute for every 1,000 feet above sea level). Makes around 1-2 pints (3-4 cups) of syrup.

Elderberry Syrup Recipe with Honey and Cinnamon

This recipe adapted from my friend, Diana.

Ingredients

• 1 quart elderberry juice
• 2 cups honey
• 2 sticks cinnamon

Directions

Sterilize three 16-ounce jars, keep hot. Heat lids and rings in hot water, keep warm but not boiling. Fill water bath canner and bring to boil.

Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive pot. Heat and stir until all honey is dissolved. Bring to boil and boil for ten minutes. (This infuses the flavor of the spices into the syrup.)

Ladle hot syrup into sterilized jars leaving 1/4″ headspace. Wipe rims clean and screw on the lids. Process for 10 minutes in water bath canner (add 1 minute for every 1,000 feet above sea level). Makes around 3 pints (6 cups) of syrup.

Here's our batch at full boil.

Diana recommends:

As a preventative, a tablespoon a day can be given to adults or a teaspoon a day to children.

At the first sign of illness, a tablespoon full every 2-3 hours for adults or a teaspoonful every 2-3 hours for children.

Health Benefits of Elderberries

I'm going to be completely honest with you – if we were going on flavor alone, I wouldn't be likely to make a lot of elderberry products. To me, the taste is rather bland. My eldest seems to like them better than I do. (He polished off half a jar of the honey jelly in one sitting.) Elderberry syrup is one of the few things my youngest can take for coughs that doesn't make him want to throw up. (He has a very sensitive tummy.)

Elderberries have been used for years in folk medicine, but recent studies are identifying numerous health benefits of elderberries, too.

Elderberries:

• Are very high in antioxidants
• Have shown antiviral effects
• Stimulate the immune system, helping you to fight off colds and flu

I'm very thankful to have a stash on hand for the coming winter months. If you're interested in more natural options for fighting colds and flus, you may want to check out the book Herbal Antibiotics by Stephen Harrod Buhner.

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More Herbal Recipes

You may also enjoy How to Make Elderberry Wine and our other Home Remedies posts, such as Immune Boosting Herbs in Finger Gelatin. Cold and cough remedies on the site include:

• Easy Homemade Cough Drops for Treatment of Sore Throats and Coughs
• 12 Home Remedies for Coughs
• Herbal Cold and Cough Care – Sore Throat Syrup and Cold and Flu Tea

Print Friendly Elderberry Syrup Recipes

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Elderberry Syrup Recipe Using Dried Elderberries

Easy elderberry syrup recipe made with soothing herbs and dried elderberries.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dried organic elderberries (4 ounces)
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup raw local honey
• 1 organic Cinnamon stick
• 5 organic Cloves
• 1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger or a pinch of dried organic Ginger root (optional)

Instructions

1. Place berries, water, and spices in a saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until liquid is reduce by one half.
3. Strain the mixture into a bowl, squishing juice out of the berries.
4. Stir in honey. Allow to cool and stored in a sealed jar in the refrigerator.

Notes

• Will last for 2-3 weeks stored in the fridge.

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Elderberry Syrup Recipe with Lemon and Cloves

Elderberry, lemon and cloves combine for a gentle elderberry syrup for colds and coughs.

• Author: Laurie Neverman
• Yield: 3-4 pints

Ingredients

• 1 pint elderberry juice
• 1lb (450g) of sugar per pint of juice
• Juice of one lemon per pint of liquid
• 10 cloves per pint of liquid

Instructions

1. Sterilize two 16-ounce jars or four 8-ounce jars, keep hot. Heat lids and rings in hot water, keep warm but not boiling. Fill water bath canner and bring to boil.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large, non-reactive pot. Heat and stir until all sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil and boil for ten minutes (this infuses the flavor of the spices into the syrup).
3. Ladle hot syrup into sterilized jars leaving 1/4″ headspace. Wipe rims clean and screw on the lids.
4. Process for 10 minutes in water bath canner (add 1 minute for every 1,000 feet above sea level). Makes around 1-2 pints (3-4 cups) of syrup.

Print

Elderberry Syrup with Honey and Cinnamon

Elderberry, cinnamon and honey combine for this soothing elderberry syrup for kids.

• Yield: 3 pints

Ingredients

• 1 quart elderberry juice
• 2 cups honey
• 2 sticks cinnamon

Instructions

1. Sterilize three 16-ounce jars, keep hot. Heat lids and rings in hot water, keep warm but not boiling. Fill water bath canner and bring to boil.
2. Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive pot. Heat and stir until all honey is dissolved.
3. Bring to boil and boil for ten minutes. (This infuses the flavor of the spices into the syrup.)
4. Ladle hot syrup into sterilized jars leaving 1/4″ headspace. Wipe rims clean and screw on the lids.
5. Process for 10 minutes in water bath canner (add 1 minute for every 1,000 feet above sea level). Makes around 3 pints of syrup

Originally published in 2011, updated in 2014 and 2017.

The post How to Make Elderberry Syrup with Fresh or Dried Elderberries appeared first on Common Sense Homesteading.

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