So the hard frost has finally hit the lovely valley I reside in. Such a gift to live somewhere that the frost comes later in fall. The beauty that the frost brings is so evident, especially in the misty, chilly mornings as the fog rises from the river up the mountain to greet us.
For a Medicine Maker the hard frost means its Syrup Season. I have been up to my elbows in Elderberry and Rose Hip Syrup all week. We made up the most delicious combination syrup at Herb Club this week. The kids were so excited to each take home their personally poured and labelled syrups. So delicious!
Here is a small twist on the standard syrup recipe. This one uses raw honey instead of sugar, making the end product super healing due to all of the honey’s natural nutritional attributes. This recipe uses Elderberry but you can substitute Rose Hips or other berries or a combination of berries very successfully with it. You can use dried herbs and roots as well just remember when doing so to add extra water at the start to compensate for rehydration.
ELDERBERRY SYRUP
Take 1 cup of fresh Elderberry (or 1/2 cup of dried) with 3 cups of water.
Puree in a blender, I use a Vita-Mix for this.
Take the pureed liquid and heat in a saucepan to a light boil. Allow to reduce by 1/2 its volume.
Remove from heat and strain through layers of cheesecloth, jelly sac or a fine mesh sieve. I strain directly back into my Vita-Mix.
Once strained add equal parts by volume of raw honey and blend until smooth.
Jar, label and store in a cool place. The honey offers somewhat of a natural preservative however be sure to use up within three months. You may wish to add 20% alcohol by volume to make it shelf stable.
I like to mix equal parts of the syrup with an Echinacea Tincture or even a Chaga or Reishi Tincture for maximum health benefits.
