Instead of dressing up in her dragon costume and going out in the World to collect bags of candy this Halloween, my daughter helped me make "Elderberry Syrup".
She helped pour the 1/2 cup of dried Elderberries I got from Frontier Herbs into the pan. She carefully added the tablespoon of crushed ginger, the cinnamon stick, and the 5 cloves to the mix. She then stirred the mixture for a few minutes (totally unnecessary...but she was having so much fun).
Together we added the 2 cups of water and then I put the pan on the stove. I covered it and brought it to a boil and then down to a simmer for 15 minutes.
She watched as I strained the mixture and used a spoon to squeeze out all the liquid from the berries. "HOT, HOT, HOT," she reminded me. Together, we sampled the syrup after it cooled.
GOOD.
I agree.
I had hoped to gather some Elderberries this summer but only found bushes along side the road (a Big No-No when making your own herbal medicine).
By the time I had finally gotten my act together and decided to order some Elderberries from my Go-to-Herb-Store, Mountain Rose Herbs, they were sold out!
This was the first time I had ever bought anything from Frontier Herbs and I've been happy with their service and their product.
I had to buy a 1 lb bag of dried organic Elderberries which at $21 seems expensive. But...when you look at an 8 oz bottle of Commercial Elderberry Syrup costing $16, you quickly realize how much money you can save by making your own!
Each member of my family will be taking a tablespoon of Elderberry Syrup every day this Flu and Cold Season. Hopefully, all those wonderful immune-boosting flavonoids will keep us all healthy this Winter (or at least lessen the length of our sickness).
I'm taking a tablespoon every hour to help subdue the virus I caught, a few weeks ago. I know Elderberry works best at the beginning of a cold or flu...but we'll see if it helps a little.
Check out this nice video on how to make your own! Enjoy and stay healthy this Winter...
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