Homemade Elderberry Syrup Recipe
Elderberry syrup has gained popularity in recent years as a natural but powerful herbal remedy, particularly for treating colds and flu. After all, elderberries are packed with immune-boosting vitamins and antioxidants, and scientific study after scientific study has shown the efficacy of elderberries when it comes to easing cold and flu symptoms.
But there’s also some important safety information you should know about using elderberries and elderberry syrup,so before you skip to the bottom of this post to get my recipe for homemade elderberry syrup, I encourage you to take a moment to read through the following info. and brush up on your elderberry knowledge first.
Disclaimer: I am not a certified herbalist or health care practitioner. This information is for educational and entertainment purposes only, and you should always speak with your doctor or health care provider before using herbal remedies as part of your healthcare routine. Just because something is natural does not automatically make it safe, and there may be ingredients in the recipe I’m about to share with you that can interfere with certain medications and medical conditions. Always use good judgment and speak with your doctor before using medicinal herbs. You can read my full disclaimer here.
What are elderberries?
Elderberries are the fruit (berries) of the Sambucus tree/shrub. There are two types of edible elderberry plants: Sambucus nigra (European elderberry) and Sambucus canadensis (North American elderberry).
Both of these varieties produce black elderberries, which are both edible and medicinal. There are also red elderberries (Sambucus racemosa) but these red elderberries are poisonous and should never be consumed.
The Sambucus (Elder) plants first produce elderflowers in the spring. These tiny, delicate white flowers grow in clusters and are also edible. In the summer, the elderflowers die and leave behind small black elderberries.
While these black elderberries are both edible and medicinal, they must be cooked first as raw elderberries contain toxins, including glycosides that can cause a buildup of cyanide in the body.
Related: A Peek Inside My Natural Medicine Cabinet
Are elderberries toxic?
If eaten raw, elderberries can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, which is probably the last thing you want at any time really, but especially if you’re already feeling sick.
Once cooked, however, elderberries are perfectly edible and still retain all of their medicinal properties.
Medicinal benefits of elderberries
Elderberries are high in antioxidants, vitamins A and C, as well as antiviral and anti-inflammatory compounds.
Elderberries -and elderberry syrup in particular- are best known for their ability to help boost immunity and ease cold and flu symptoms such as fever, headaches, muscle pain, sore throat and nasal congestion. Lesser known medicinal benefits include elderberries’ ability to help ease constipation (presumably due to their high fibre content), lower blood pressure, soothe inflammatory skin conditions, including acne, and reduce wrinkles.
Related: How to Make Traditional Fire Cider
Is elderberry syrup safe for kids?
Yes. Elderberry syrup is generally considered safe for children over the age of one. Raw honey can cause infant botulism in very young children so this syrup should not be given to children under the age of one.
Fresh vs. dried elderberries (and where to buy elderberries)
You can use fresh or dried elderberries to make elderberry syrup. If you’re growing your own elderberries then by all means use the fresh berries to make your elderberry syrup! Or you can dry them in a dehydrator or oven and then use the dried berries. However if you’re not growing your own elderberries, then you best option is to purchase dried elderberries and use those to make your syrup.
If using fresh elderberries, use twice as much. For example, this recipe calls for one cup of dried elderberries, so if using fresh elderberries, use two cups instead.
Even if you have to buy some dried elderberries, they go quite a long way and you’ll get quite a few batches of elderberry syrup out of a bag of dried elderberries, so this is still a much cheaper option than buying elderberry syrup from your local pharmacy or health food store.
We planted a couple elderberry bushes in the spring, but they’re going to take a few seasons to get established and start producing enough elderberries for us to harvest. So in the meantime, I use dried elderberries.
In the past I’ve used Starwest Botanicals brand dried elderberries and I’ve been very happy with them. However lately I’ve been using dried elderberries from Farmhouse Teas (which is also where I get my herbal tea blends for flavouring my kombucha).
Farmhouse Teas also caries an Herbal Elderberry Syrup Kit, which is an herbal blend that includes all organic ingredients including dried elderberries, orange peel, rose hips, astragalus, echinacea, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. I’ve used this kit to make my own elderberry syrup before and it’s a pretty strong contender with the recipe I’m sharing with you here!
Whether you opt for making your own elderberry syrup using this recipe or would prefer a ready-made kit, Farmhouse Teas is currently having a buy one get one at 20% off sale on all of their dried elderberry products from now through Saturday (September 10th, 2022). This discount also applies to the Dump & Go Mix Trio, which includes their elderberry syrup kit, as well as a dry fire cider kit and wild cherry bark syrup kit.
Right now you can buy one and get one for 20% off, plus get free shipping on all orders over $59 in the U.S. Get your elderberries here and save!
How to make homemade elderberry syrup
By making your own elderberry syrup, you’ll not only save money (have you seen how expensive bottles of elderberry syrup are at the store?), you’ll also get to customize your elderberry syrup by adding in a variety of other medicinal (and delicious) herbs and spices.
To make a basic elderberry syrup all you need to do is add one cup of elderberries and four cups of water to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium heat and simmer until the liquid has reduced by about half (roughly 25 to 30 minutes).
Strain out the elderberries, reserving the liquid and mix in one cup of raw, unpasteurized honey. Transfer to a bottle (I use these amber glass bottles, but a Mason jar or other glass bottle will work too) and store in the fridge for up to 6 months.
However the recipe I’m about to share with you also calls for cinnamon, cloves, ginger and lemon, all of which have medicinal properties of their own. But you can choose to omit one or all of these additional ingredients if you like. Or you can add in other medicinal herbs like rosemary or thyme. Customize away
My favourite elderberry syrup recipe
This is my favourite recipe for homemade elderberry syrup. It begins and ends with the basics (elderberries and raw, unpasteurized honey), but I also add cinnamon, ginger, lemon peel and cloves.
Not only does this syrup taste amazing, the added ingredients possess potent medicinal properties of their own.
Cinnamon: Cinnamon is anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and high in antioxidants.
Ginger: Ginger is antiviral, antibacterial, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory, as well as being a potent antioxidant. Ginger is also well known for its ability to ease nausea and soothe upset stomachs.
Cloves: Cloves are antiseptic, antiviral, antimicrobial and anti- inflammatory, and are known for their ability to help ease sore throats.
Lemon peel: Antimicrobial. antifungal, high in antioxidants and vitamin C.
Unpasteurized Honey: Antibacterial, antifungal, high in antioxidants and helps to ease inflammation and sooth sore throats.
Add all of the powerhouse ingredients along with the elderberries and you’ve got a powerful herbal medicine that tastes good enough to pour over pancakes in the morning;)
Related: Homemade Vitamin C Powder
How to use elderberry syrup
Finally, you should probably know how to use your elderberry syrup once you’ve made it.
Preventative use: Due to its immune boosting properties, elderberry syrup is most effective when taken regularly as a preventative measure Take one to two teaspoons daily.
Curative use: If you’ve come down with a cold or flu, increase dosage up to 4 tablespoons per day until symptoms subside.
Culinary uses: You can also use elderberry syrup in place of other types of fruit or maple syrup and pour over pancakes, waffles or ice cream, or add to soda water for a refreshing drink!
Homemade Elderberry Syrup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried elderberries (or 2 cups fresh elderberries, washed and stems removed)
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup raw unpasteurized honey
- 2 whole cinnamon sticks
- 2 Tbsp. freshly grated/chopped ginger
- 1 tsp. whole cloves
- 1 tsp. grated lemon peel
Instructions
- Add elderberries, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, lemon peel and water to a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and simmer until the liquid has reduced by about half (approx. 25-30 minutes).
- Remove from heat and let steep for another 5 minutes or so. Then strain out the solids and reserve the liquid.
- Add the honey to the liquid and stir until dissolved. Transfer to a bottle or jar (a Mason jar works well) and store in the fridge for up to 6 months.
Wishing you homemade, homegrown, homestead happiness 🙂
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It’s easy to romanticize homesteading, but the truth is that those homegrown vegetables, those freshly laid eggs, that loaf of bread rising on the counter, and that pantry full of home-canned food takes time, effort and dedication. It doesn’t “just happen” overnight!
But if you work on learning one new skill at a time and gain confidence in it before moving onto the next, one day you’ll be looking back and marvelling at how far you’ve come.
That’s where I’m at now. Life today looks a lot different than it did 10 years ago, when our homesteading and self-reliance journey was just beginning.
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While there’s always more we want to learn and do, as I look around me right now, I’m so grateful that we took those first steps, especially considering what’s happened in the world over the past few years!
If you’re also feeling the urgency to take the first (or next) steps toward a more self-reliant life, this is your final reminder that today is the last day to join The Society of Self-Reliance and start levelling up your homesteading and self-sufficiency skills so that you’ve got what it takes to:
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There are so many reasons to grow your own food at home:
💰 Saves you money at the grocery store
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But perhaps the number one reason is because it just tastes better!
Not only does food taste better when it’s freshly picked or allowed to ripen on the vine, there’s something about putting in the work to grow something from a tiny seed and then getting to see it on your dinner plate that just makes it so much more satisfying than anything you’ll ever buy from the store.
Plus, having to wait all year for fresh tomatoes or strawberries or zucchinis to be in season makes that short period when they’re available just that much more exciting!
With the world spinning out of control and food prices continuing to rise, it’s no wonder more people are taking an interest in learning to grow their own food at home. But that also means changing our relationship with food and learning to appreciate the work that goes into producing it and the natural seasonality of organically grown fruits and vegetables.
(It also means learning to preserve it so you can make the most of it and enjoy homegrown food all year long).
In my online membership program, The Society of Self-Reliance, you’ll learn how to grow your own food, from seed to harvest, as well as how to preserve it so you can enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of your labor all year long!
You’ll also learn how to grow and craft your own herbal medicine, detox your home, become your own handyman, and so much more (because self-reliance is about more than just the food that we eat… But that’s a pretty good place to start!)
The doors to the Society are now open for a limited time only. Click the link in my profile or go to thehouseandhomestead.com/society to learn more.
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If you’ve been watching events unfold over the past few years and you’re feeling called to start “cutting ties” with the system and begin reclaiming your independence, The Society of Self-Reliance was made for you!
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Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn inside the Society:
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Link in profile or visit thehouseandhomestead.com/society to learn more.
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Got out for an early morning harvest today. Been up since 3am, contemplating life, the future and the past, the order of things…
There is a rumbling right now, not just in North America, but around the world. Many of us can feel it, and know we are on the precipice of something big.
I’d been hearing about this new song that’s become an overnight viral sensation, written by an (until now) unknown singer named Oliver Anthony. His new song Rich Men North of Richmond has had 14 million views on YouTube in the past week alone, so I decided to check it out.
I also saw a clip of him playing a Farmers Market last week, and anything that has to do with Farmers Markets always has my attention;)
I can’t tell you how many tears I’ve already cried listening to that song. If you’ve heard it already, you probably know what I’m talking about, and if you haven’t, I highly recommend giving it a listen. All I can say is it’s been a while since a song resonated so deeply with me, and in this strange new world, I know I’m not the only one.
One of the lines in Anthony’s song is “Livin’ in the new world, with an old soul,” and that’s something I think so many of us in the homesteading community can relate to.
Trying to cling to better days; To a simpler time; To the old ways, all while doing our best to get by in the new world.
The world has changed drastically in the last few years especially, and it’s set to change in immense ways over the next few years. Today I’m feeling thankful for people like @oliver_anthony_music_ who give a voice to what so many are feeling right now.
Know that if you’re feeling it too, you’re far from alone. And while the future may feel uncertain and even a little scary, remember that if we stand united, we the people are a force to be reckoned with.
(Continued in comments…)
Another garlic harvest in the books!
Garlic is easily one of my favourite crops to grow. It’s pretty much a “set if and forget it” crop. We plant in the fall and leave it to overwinter, fertilize a couple times in the spring, start watering only once the ground starts to dry out, and then harvest in the summer. We can even plant a fall succession crop after our garlic if we want so it really makes great use of garden space all year round.
Over the years we’ve managed to become completely self-sufficient with garlic. We now grow enough to eat all year (and then some!), plus we save our own seed garlic and usually have extra to sell or give away. And around here fresh, organic garlic ain’t cheap, so it’s a good cash crop for anyone who’s serious about selling it.
It took me a few years to really get the hang of garlic, but it’s one crop I’m now very confident with (knock on wood, because it’s always when we make statements like this that next year’s crop fails! Lol.)
A while back I compiled a comprehensive guide to growing, harvesting and using garlic both as an edible and medicinal crop. This is usually only available as part of a paid bundle (or in the fall 2022 issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine if you’re a subscriber;), but for a limited time I’m offering it for free, no strings attached!
Plus you’ll also get access to my step-by-step video lesson on planting garlic so you can set yourself up for success with your garlic crop this year.
Comment “Garlic” below or head to thehouseandhomestead.com/garlic-guide to get your free copy!
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Going through photos and videos from our trip to the @modernhomesteadingconference and the vast majority are of our daughter having the time of her life!
Even if I personally got nothing else out of this gathering (which I most certainly did), watching her discover her own love of this lifestyle outside of what we do at home made my heart grow three sizes!
Homesteading is about so much more than homegrown food and self-reliance. It’s about passing on invaluable skills and an understanding of and respect for our connection to the land that provides for us to the next generation.
Being around so many other kids and families who are also pursuing a homesteading lifestyle helped show our little one that this is a movement that is so much bigger and greater than what our own family does on our little plot of land. This is a lifestyle worth pursuing, with a community unlike any other.
Glad to be back home and more excited than ever to involve my kids in everything we’re doing. But also, I think I speak for my whole family when I say we can’t wait to go back someday!
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Head over using the link in my bio!
https://thehouseandhomestead.com/12-frugal-living-tips-summer/
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In this issue:
🌱 How to forage and use five common edible and medicinal weeds
🏠 A sustainable, affordable alternative to traditional homes, greenhouses and more
👨👩👧👦 Tips for managing a homestead while raising a family (big or small!)
🫙 What to focus on when preserving food for true food security
🌹 How to grow and arrange your own cut flowers at home
🍓 The many ways to preserve summer berries (including 5 delicious recipes!)
💇How to make your own all-natural herbal hair care products at home
🧑🌾 Why “community sufficiency” is the new self-sufficiency
And more!
Visit modernhomesteadingmagazine.com (or click the link in my bio) to subscribe or login to the library and read the latest issue.
Plus, be sure to check out all of our past issues as well! There’s a wealth of information in our library on everything from farming and gardening to cooking and canning to herbal medicine, natural living and so much more!
*** This will be the last quarterly issue! ***
This little magazine has grown so much over the past 4 years and 32 issues, and now it’s time for another exciting evolution.
I’m excited to announce that we will be moving to an even more robust annual publication with the intention of offering the first ever print edition this fall if there is enough demand.
I’m also excited to announce the brand new Modern Homesteading Magazine blog, which is currently under construction and will be launching soon. While we will still be maintaining digital subscriptions, the blog will be accessible to all, free of charge, so that more people might benefit from the empowering and increasingly important information that we cover in each issue.
Thanks to everyone who helped make this issue happen! @homesteadingfamily @oatsandhoneyhomestead @omnivore.culture @thetaylor.leigh @doeraydesign (and more who don’t have IG pages;)
And a HUGE thank you to everyone who has subscribed over the years. Modern Homesteading Magazine would never have become what it is today without each and every one of you.
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If you’ve ever grown your own garlic, you might have noticed the spiral-shaped shoots that suddenly pop up in the centre of the stem, usually about a month or so before the garlic bulbs themselves are ready to be harvested.
These are garlic scapes, and believe it or not- they make delicious pesto! Get the recipe through the link in my bio- https://thehouseandhomestead.com/garlic-scape-pesto/
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Get the recipe through the link in my bio.
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Whether you live in the city and grow a few herbs on your balcony, have a few backyard chickens in the suburbs or live in the country and have a larder full of enough home-canned food to survive the apocalypse, if living a more homemade, homegrown, self-sufficient lifestyle is important to you, Modern Homesteading Magazine was made for you!
Read it today through the link in my bio!
https://modernhomesteadingmagazine.com/
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This radish top pesto recipe makes good use of the edible radish greens that often get discarded once they’re separated from the root. The end result is a peppery, slightly spicy twist on a classic pesto recipe.
A perfect condiment for all your summer snacking!
https://thehouseandhomestead.com/radish-top-pesto-recipe/
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Could I just dehydrate them and powder them and put them in capsules and take?
That’s not something I’ve personally tried – but you might find this article helpful: https://simplybeyondherbs.com/elderberry-powder-recipe/#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20best%20ways,100%20g%20of%20fresh%20elderberries.
She has some good information on whether you should dehydrate cooked or raw elderberries as well, be sure to read up on that.
Is there any that this syrup could be made in a slow cooker. I am always worried about how much goodness will be lost through the high heat of boiling
I don’t see why not, as long as the berries get thoroughly cooked. However, to get a syrupy consistency, you do need to simmer it until it’s reduced by about half, as per the recipe. It may be worth looking for a similar recipe that specifically uses a slow cooker, as the directions may differ.
Can this syrup be canned? If so any idea how long to process in canner? Looks like a great recipe! Thank you!
Hi Jeanne,
I would caution against canning this exact recipe for elderberry syrup as it hasn’t been tested as being safe for canning. I did find a great article explaining how to can elderberry juice (which you could then turn into syrup). The article explains that some elderberries have a higher PH than others and there’s no really way to know for sure what the PH is of the elderberries you’re using, so it calls for the addition of citric acid or lemon juice. You can read the article here. The other thing is that I wouldn’t can it with honey as the temperatures from the boiling water bath will kill off any of the beneficial properties of the honey and it will simply become a sweetener. It’s best to add the honey once the juice has cooled a bit so that you don’t inadvertently kill off the beneficial enzymes in the raw honey.
Can you reuse the dried elderberries after making a batch ( I’m a first-timer)
Hi Annette,
Once you use your dried elderberries to make syrup, their nutritional/medicinal goodness is used up. Some people have been able to dehydrate them again and make a tea but you are really just looking for some flavor and not the medicinal benefits. And it won’t have as much flavor as it did when you made the syrup.
Most people just put them in their compost to nourish the soil instead. 🙂
How much do you take of the syrup?
Hi Becky,
I usually take about a tablespoon per day, which is what I give to my daughter too. I know some people eat it over their pancakes or ice cream, so it’s not like most modern cough syrups where you have to be more cautious about how much you take. I wouldn’t overdo it, but we usually take one or even two Tablespoons per day for prevention and up it to four tablespoons a day if/when we get sick. Four tablespoons a day is what is typically recommended to help treat cold and flu symptoms.