Take cold support to the next level with a quick immune system boost from just a spoonful of homemade elderberry syrup.
Why Elderberry Syrup?
Today, we take care of the hard working immune system during cold season with a flavorful spoonful of homemade elderberry syrup. At one point in life, I had house slippers and town shoes. And now, in this season I have house pants and home pants. Let’s be honest, being home and cozy is just about as comfortable as one can be.
We spent a lot of our fall, and so far, most of our winter at home. Our daughter’s health scare have us dealing with some residual fears towards the continued spread of colds and sorts. So we’ve tucked in, and turned towards bolstering our immune system with home remedies and wise decisions. Elderberry syrup has duality in the home remedy and wise decision department, thankfully. Not to mention, it’s sweet and flavorful and reminds you of the carefree jingle of “…a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.”
What is special about elderberry?
There’s plenty of information out there about what elderberry does for your immune system, apart from what I share here. I was first impressed by its abilities from Julia Watkins’ book, “Simply Living Well”. She talks of its ability to boost and balance the immune system, antioxidize, support the heart, reduce inflammation, and quell cold and cough.
Personally, we know the wonders of modern medicine, but prefer to see the magic of the human body supported by whole foods and good balance. We brainstorm more about cold season HERE. We did have the chance to put our homemade elderberry syrup to the test this year. Mama was pleased to not only see cough and cold improve more rapidly than I’d ever seen, but also to hear my little one pretend to extend his cold for more sips of elderberry and honey. If anything, we are enjoying the armor of homeopathic remedies, and using the sword of modern medicine when we need it.
Tips:
- Clove can be a strong flavor. It makes the flavor of elderberry syrup more earthy, and “wine-like”. To lessen the strength of flavor, use less ground cloves, add 3-4 whole cloves in substitute, or omit.
- Honey will not dissolve in the syrup unless the syrup is at room temperature or warmer. Ideally, local honey is best because it will have the unique properties of your local allergens in it’s chemistry! [A reminder that this can strictly only be used by ages two and older. The inclusion of honey means that ages 2 and below should avoid.]
- Since the syrup lasts only a month, it is best to work in small batches.
To use:
- Sick adults: Take 1-2 TB every 3-4 hours
- Adult preventative: 1-2 TB every day
- Kids: 2+ can take 1 tsp at every meal (every 4-6 hours)
- Babies under the age of 2 should AVOID.
Ingredients
2 cups of water
½ cup dried elderberries
1 TB minced fresh ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
½ cup raw honey
Directions
- Pour the water into a medium pot with elderberries, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
- Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 45 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and press the berries to extract their juices.
- Strain through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer and compost.
- Once cooled slightly, mix in the honey and whisk until dissolved.
- Pour into a jar with an airtight lid and store in the fridge for up to a month. (This is freezable!)
Elderberry Gummies
To take elderberry syrup to a protein supported option, combine 2 cups of elderberry syrup with 4 TB of grass-fed gelatin. Pour into a gummy mold or a glass 8×8 pan. Allow to set up in a refrigerator for 10-15 minutes. Remove from mold, or slice in pan, and store in an airtight container for 2 weeks.
Find more FWS recipes & Mom remedies:
Cold Remedy: Mom’s Chicken Noodle Soup
Other Cold Season Remedies
To read: Bunny Book Club: Sick Day Book List
To make: Spring Strawberry Rhubarb Bars
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