Elderberry Super Syrup - Yummy Immune Booster

When you've lived in a couple places, sometimes it's interesting to watch your friends posting and see how similar or different the posts are depending on location. My friends back in California are dealing with relatively warm weather and taking their kids to the park, while my Inland PNW peeps are dealing with snow and freezing temperatures and enjoying the winter sports that go with those conditions. The similarity I'm seeing, however, are the posts about this nasty flu bug going around. I'm seeing some of my really healthy friends in both areas posting about being down and out for 7-8 days! Yikes!

I have total empathy since we had a similar bug last winter. It happened to coincide with a week of below 0 temperatures which froze our downstairs pipes, which meant no laundry and all dishes had to be lugged to the upstairs bathroom to wash. This is a hassle when all are well, but when all members of the family are taking turns in the bathrooms, getting upstairs alone is a struggle, even more so carrying a load of dishes or a clingy toddler. Anyway, we all got through it and it only lasted maybe 3-4 days with each of us, so maybe a week total since we went down in stages. I of course, was the last to get it. The benefit being we had already established a routine with all the supplements, bone broth, homemade electrolyte drink and elderberry syrup, so the kids were able to actually help care for mom a bit.

Well, the best part of being sick, according to the kids is all the elderberry syrup I'm constantly spooning into each of them, so I thought I'd share a bit about that here. We learned about elderberries back in California when I was just learning what it meant to be a 'crunchy' mama. A fellow preschool parent told me about foraging for elderberries and gave me a couple good spots to find them along with a basic recipe. Well, one sip of the final product and we were hooked. Where I live now, I know there are elderberries, but between the homeschooling, homesteading and homebuilding we haven't had time for that much exploration, so I was really excited to find dried elderberries in the bulk area of my local health food store. While I was there, I also picked up some dried astragalus root, organic cinnamon sticks and fresh ginger.

Most elderberry recipes are pretty simple. They consist of water, elderberries and either raw honey or some like to use organic sugar and boil it down to thicken. Those that know me know I've never met a recipe I didn't want to change. Just ask my husband. So often when he likes a dish, he asks, “Can you make it like this everytime?” I just smile because by the time I’ve gotten 4 kids seated and served, I can’t remember what additional items I threw into the dish in question! Sorry honey! So for this, I decided to add a few more supportive elements and turn this simple, yet powerful syrup into Super Immune Boosting Yumminess! So, here's a brief run down of why I chose these ingredients:

Elderberry: Packed with vitamins and minerals including A, B, C, iron, potassium, phosphorous, copper, as well as proteins and fiber. Aids in digestion, heart health, respiratory health and boosts immunity. (Note: Most berries in the Sambucus family are toxic if consumed raw, so keep them away from small children and be sure you cook them well. If you're unsure about identifying them in the wild, then be safe and purchase from a reputable source until you can verify with an expert.)

Astragalus: Long history as an anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, immune booster, and disease fighter as well as an adaptogen. Has also been used to ease the symptoms patients experience during chemotherapy.

Ginger: Anti-inflammatory. Some studies show ginger to be effective against RSV. It is thought that a bioactive Gingerol can help lower risk of infection. I happen to love the taste as well.

Cinnamon: Anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant. Source of manganese, calcium & iron. Naturally anti-microbial, anti-biotic, anti-fungal and anti-viral when in oil form. Adds depth of flavor to the syrup.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Boosts gut health and stablizes blood sugar. In this recipe, I once made the syrup too sweet and the ACV helped cut the sweetness and added a tang that the kids really enjoyed so now I always add a splash or two to taste.

It's a very forgiving recipe so don't worry if you don't have the exact measurements. I've had times where I've accidentally boiled it too long and it was very concentrated. The kids still loved it, I just gave slightly smaller doses.

Elderberry Yumminess

1 cup dried elderberries
4 cups water
1-2 cinnamon sticks
5-6 strips of astragalus root
approx 1 inch knob of fresh ginger
1/2 or 1 cup of raw honey - depending on how sweet you prefer
Splash - Apple Cider Vinegar (optional)

1. Place all ingredients in a pot or instant pot and let soak for about an hour if you have time. I've been in a rush and skipped this step and didn't notice much difference, but I try to when possible.
2. If on a stove top, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 45-60 minutes. This time I put mine in the instant pot and used the manual setting on high for 15 minutes and let the pressure release naturally.
3. Strain out the solids. If you have cheesecloth or a nut milk bag, these work great so you can really squeeze all the liquid out.
4. Return the liquid to the stove top and let boil down to half. I did not use the instant pot for this step because I felt it was too wide for the amount of liquid.
5. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Add the raw honey, stirring well. Store in the refrigerator. Should keep about 2 weeks, but mine never lasts that long!

I'm not a medical practitioner and this is not medical advice, so please do your research to determine what is best for you and your family. I know some people use this syrup over ice cream or pancakes. We have used it to flavor water kefir, but otherwise my kids enjoy a teaspoon of this 1-3x a day during flu season. I take a tablespoon 2-3 x/day.

We found this new brand of kombucha the other day and we all enjoyed it. The kids liked the bottle so much I decided to recycle it as our Elderberry Syrup bottle. Now I need to make a cute label for it in my spare time! (Spare time? Did you catch that joke fellow busy mamas?)

So, have you tried elderberries? If so, what's your favorite way to incorporate them? I'd love to hear about it!