Homemade Organic Elderberry Syrup
We make our elderberry syrup the “old fashioned way” around here. (Like our amazing Grandmas used to make it.)
All organic ingredients + fluoride-free filtered water.
We also make it in * bulk * because we use a lottttttt of it (it’s delicious AND super healing = win!) So if you need to make just a jar or two, we recommend that you either cut this recipe in quarters (half, then half again), or just use the single-jar recipe from Wellness Mama (here).
We also waterbathe (can) ours for a longer shelf-life… but this isn’t a guide on how to waterbathe and preserve foods (that’s another project for another day). If you’ve never canned before, that’s okay; just skip over those notes in the instructions, and keep an eye out on our Facebook & Instagram pages for our upcoming classes for “Waterbath Canning: 101”.
Ready to jump in? Let’s do this!
Exodus Road’s Homemade Organic Elderberry Syrup
- 2 cups dried elderberries (OR 3.5 cups fresh berries)
- 1 large piece fresh ginger (OR sprinkle a good amount of ground ginger in, to your comfort)
- 6 whole Chinese star anise
- 4 whole cinnamon sticks
- 18 whole cloves
- 13 cups filtered water
- 1 cup raw honey (or more, to taste)
** all ingredients are organic
Put all ingredients in a large stock pot except the honey, & bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Once it’s a rolling boil, drop the heat to a simmer and cover the pot with a lid, leaving a crack for some steam to escape. Let it boil for an hour, stirring occasionally.
Uncover and let it cool on the stove until the pot stops steaming. This extra time will steep more goodness out of your ingredients. (Yum!)
CANNING: This is the time to get your jars ready and your water boiling if you are planning to waterbath some of your jars.
Using a metal sieve, strain out all the solids, pouring the liquid into a large pot or bowl.
Smoosh the berries in the strainer to get more of the juice into your liquid. (You can also use a cheesecloth for this.) Put the spent berries in your compost pile.
Cool the liquid to 110°F. (You don’t want to cook the goodness out of your syrup!) Then add the honey, stirring it in well so there are no clumps.
Ladle into your jars/ bottles, with a half inch of headspace at the top. You’re done! Store in the fridge & use as desired.
CANNING: Waterbathe for 15 mins. Shelf-stable for 1-2 years (taste/smell test).
For those asking where I get my ingredients:
> Berries: I either grow them myself on our organic homestead, or if I happen to run out, I have bought from Frontier Co-Op and Mountain Rose Herbs online.
> Cinnamon sticks: You can find organic cinnamon sticks at the grocery most of the time; otherwise, Mountain Rose often has them or HerbCo; Mountain Rose or Frontier.
> Ginger: I get mine from the Amish near our home, but you can find in the grocery sometimes; Sprouts, Whole Foods, or Mountain Rose Herbs.
> Star Anise: Frontier Co-Op or Mountain Rose.
> Whole Cloves: grocery or Sprouts, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s etc.
> Raw Unfiltered Honey: I get ours from local beekeepers, or Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods etc.
> Water: I use a ProPur/ProOne gravity filtration system (filters out all the junk chemicals etc including fluoride etc), and filter the water from my kitchen sink.
