Happy Holidays!
I just made my first batch of syrup today, and I need to credit Whitney for the recipe. Whitney is someone I met this fall when I was selling crystallized honey - she is focused on ensuring her family stays healthy through the flu season. Elderberries are known for boosting your immune system. I just tasted the syrup - it is yummy!
I am posting the recipe on our website; however, I strongly encourage you to read an article from the Franklin Institute of Wellness. This institute explains the importance of ensuring that you properly prepare the syrup. Here is the link:
My plans are to use the syrup in tea - I'm trying to get off my daily McDonalds Coke, and switching to tea! However, Whitney indicated she just takes a spoonful of the syrup daily, so another way to boost your immune system!
I bought the elderberries and rosehips from Amazon; the aronia berries from Iowa Choice Harvest in Ames. They have a plant in Marshalltown, with an office in Ames. They were kind enough to ship the berries to the Ames office (frozen), and I went up and picked them up. I then divided down all the berries based on the recipe, bagged them in a FoodSaver bag (purchased from Kohls - it pulls out the air from the bags, and food lasts a long time in the freezer) and froze individual packages. Now I can pull out a mixed bag of ingredients, and cook down my syrup.
Later on, I discovered another website for Iowa arronia berries: http://iowaberry.com/contact/
And a farmstead in Mount Vernon, Iowa that grows both aronnia berries AND elderberries: http://iowaelderberries.com/what%20we%20grow
Anyway, here is the list of ingredients that Whitney provided to me; I added the instructions.
Elderberry Syrup YIELD: Makes 3.5 cups
½ c Dried Elderberries ½ c Dried Rosehips 1 c Frozen Aronia Berries 3 cups filtered water 1.5 cups honey
DIRECTIONS Mix the first 4 ingredients in a saucepan, and heat to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for an hour. Let the mixture cool to at least 90 degrees; mash the mixture if you would like. Strain the liquid from the pulp with a fine mesh strainer. If the strained liquid does not equal 2 cups, add filtered water to gain a full two cups; if there are more than 2 cups, continue to simmer mixture until it reaches 2 cups. Option 1: Mix the 1.5 cups of honey with the 2 cups of elderberry mixture, and store in the refrigerator. Option 2: Combine 2/3 cup of elderberry mixture with ½ cup of honey. Divide the remaining elderberry mixture (2- 2/3 cup) into 2 – pint mason jars. Freeze the mason jars until needed. To mix at a later date, combine 2/3 cup of elderberry mixture with ½ cup of honey.
Highly recommend you read this website: franklininstituteofwellness.com/proper-elderberry-syrup/
I'm trying to figure out what to do with the mashed berry mixture - I hate throwing it out. Once I figure that out, I will update you!
Happy New Year!