Hard to believe that my last blog post was from March of 2021! A new managerial role at my day job - while a great career opportunity - certainly took its toll on my available time for pleasure writing. Didn't COVID-19 seem to wreak havoc on our habits as well?
Anyhoo, I'm thrilled to get back to some nature musings and restore a little of that important work/life balance we all need.
And fortuitously, the post I happened to be working on last - before earning a paycheck rudely interrupted my farmgirl scribbles - was on elderberry syrup. Which is timely as we'll be coming up on the elderflower season in June and the subsequent elderberry season in July. Perfect excuse to get prepared for their harvest. Hey, it's all good!
What’s the difference between elderflower syrup and elderberry syrup? Elderflower syrup is made from the beautiful, white fairy elderflowers (shown left). It's clear to light yellow in color with a very light, citrusy flavor, and I described how to make it back in Elderflower Enthusiast.
In contrast, elderberry syrup is deep purple in color and is made from the berries of the elder. It has a more tart and fruity taste.
Elderberry syrup has enjoyed quite a renaissance in recent years. Once an old-timey cough and cold remedy that fell out of use due to the availability of modern medicines, it’s become quite popular again as a safe, natural remedy and can now be seen in many forms (tablets, gummies, or liquids) at your local drug store.
We have several elder bushes in our yard. One in particular sits directly at the corner of our patio and has blooms that get so big, they end up hanging over my patio chairs. While I love the scent of the fairy blossoms when sitting outside, this particular location provides extra incentive to make elderberry syrup. Once the flowers turn to berries, I must gather all that lovely purple fruit before it drops or the berries end up permanently staining the patio chair cushions and creating lovely purple circles on the patio stones! Have to keep ahead of the birds and squirrels as well who drop a few while they eat =)
Historical factoid: While I don’t want elderberries staining my patio cushions, this very trait gives them their tried and true reputation for staying power when used as a dye. Historically, they were used for the blue and purple colors in the famous Harris Tweed, and the Romans also used them for hair dye!
And good news, you don't have to have an elder bush in your yard to make syrup. Now that elderberry products have come back into fashion, you can find frozen or dried elderberries very easily online.
HARVEST THE BERRIES: If you are picking fresh berries, they can be quite messy as they stain both skin and cloth. The easiest hack I've learned for gathering them is to cut small branches of berries off over a big bowl to capture falling strays. Then put the whole thing - small branches with berries - into Ziploc bags and freeze them.
When you are ready to make syrup, you literally just shake the frozen branches over a bowl dislodging all the berries. They drop right off with no mess!
If you happen to have any green or red (unripe) berries in there, it's a good idea to remove them. You can run the bowl with berries under water and the unripe ones will just float to the top.
Make sure to discard the branches immediately. If you need to set them on the counter, make sure to place paper towels down for them as any associated juices will stain anything they touch. Then, within the bowl of berries, you can use your fingers to sift through and gather any little branches. I didn't think of it at the time, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to wear some latex gloves to do this. As the berries are still frozen, you can separate the bits you want out pretty easily. No worries if some are still there - it will be strained off later.
The next step is to cook the berries down. This is very important - raw elderberries are toxic since they contain cyanogen glycosides. Eating raw berries creates a build-up of cyanide in your body which can cause severe stomach problems or worse depending on the amount ingested.
Nature factoid: Interestingly, their toxicity seems to only be a problem for humans and many domesticated animals (cats, dogs, etc). The birds and squirrels can eat all they want, ripe or unripe, with no issue! I went down a rabbit hole (they can eat them too) to find out the scientific reason for this but struck out. A question in search of an answer for another day!
TO COOK THE BERRIES:
Fill the pot with around 2 cups of berries and 4 cups of water. Bring to a gentle boil and then immediately reduce the heat and allow them to simmer for about 30 minutes. If you like, you can add a cinnamon stick, cloves, ginger, vanilla bean, or herbs to the mixture for flavor at this time. Remove from the heat and let sit for at least 20 minutes to an hour to steep and cool down.
STRAIN THE BERRIES
Once cooled, strain the mixture over doubled cheesecloth or a very fine mesh strainer to avoid any pulp or seeds.
You can now add other flavor ingredients. A cup of honey balances the tartness and makes it much more palatable for kids. For best results, the added honey should be in a ratio of at least half of the total volume of liquid after it has simmered.
Honey is great as it not only sweetens the syrup but also acts as a natural preservative. But remember, honey should not be given to kiddos younger than 1 year because of the potential for infantile botulism (botulism spores are naturally found in honey, but a baby's system is too immature to remove the toxin released from these spores). Sugar or maple syrup could be used as a substitute.
If desired, a cup of brandy or vodka could also be added to....ahem....increase the medicinal value =). Actually, it does help with preserving it longer so there is a legit reason for adding liquor!
STORAGE:
The syrup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and it will last for several months. Syrups made with honey or alcohol can last out of the fridge for that amount of time or a little longer.
MEDICINAL USES:
Elderberries naturally have vitamins A, B, and C which can stimulate the immune system. They also contain trace elements (such as copper, zinc, and iron) and minerals (such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium) as well as phytochemicals (such as carotenoids, phytosterols, and polyphenols). Some older studies have shown elderberry can reduce the length of flu symptoms and these particular studies were responsible for reviving the interest in elderberry as a remedy. But more recent studies showed no effect so evidence for treating flu is a bit of a mixed bag - it's likely more important to just get your flu shot. Elderberry is certainly not a substitute for skipping it!
However, there's a long historical record and several reasonably controlled studies that do show elderberry can reduce the duration and severity of sore throat, coughs, and colds. When combined with the familiar beneficial effects of honey in a well-made syrup, it's not unreasonable to expect elderberry will help your immune system fight back!
Elderberry also has very good antioxidant properties and some studies suggest a beneficial effect on blood pressure and cholesterol, but well-controlled clinical studies have not been done in this area.
For coughs and colds: Adults can take 1 tablespoon daily and children can take 1 teaspoon daily as a preventative. If you or your children are experiencing sickness or feel something coming on, that dose can be repeated four times daily until symptoms improve.
FOOD USES:
If you want to use elderberry syrup as a food, here are some ideas to try:
- Drizzle on yogurt or ice cream
- Add to a smoothie or acai bowl
- Drizzle on waffles or pancakes
- Combine with mustard, oil, vinegar, and herbs for a salad vinaigrette
- Add to a marinade or sauce for meat - pairs great with pork
- Add to sparkling water or champagne
I drizzled it on my greek yogurt, and it paired nicely with the black raspberries from my garden!
The relationship of humans to the elder bush has essentially not changed since the time of the Stone Age - we've been using its flowers, berries, and bark for literally ages, and traditional healers have touted its benefits over those many many years. Consider that Hippocrates (the Greek physician considered the father of medicine) called the elderberry tree his medicine chest. So even with the lack of hard clinical evidence we expect for today's medicines, it's one of those plants for which there are lifetimes of accumulated wisdom and likely some truth to its beneficial effects as long as you don't believe it will be a miracle cure. Whether you decide to buy elderberry gummies from your local CVS or make your own syrup as described here, elderberry has stood the test of time and can be celebrated for its many uses!
Welcome back to blogging. Nice to see you provide medical support to health issues, as a pharmacist should!
Thanks Melita! Hope to get back into more writing for fun =)