Homemade Elderberry Syrup

Last year's flu season was really bad. And to be honest....I worried about it all winter long. We always get flu shots and they do seem to work for us, but we still end up with the inevitable colds which turn into ear infections, croup, asthma, etc. Cold and flu season is just really hard with little kids! This year I'm trying to be more proactive and take some steps to at least give me a little reassurance, if not a boost of immunity.

When my friend told me she makes homemade elderberry syrup, I immediately hopped on Amazon and purchased some dried elderberries. Elderberries have been shown to be pretty potent cold and flu fighters.  Last year I bought some store bought elderberry syrup and gummies for my kids, but they were quite pricey! This year I decided to save some money and make everything at home. And it was surprisingly simple.

Here is the recipe I used: Elderberry Syrup Recipe 

Here are the elderberries I ordered: Dried Elderberries

And here are some store-bought options for Elderberry Syrup: Elderberry Gummies, Syrup for Kids

The ingredient list was simple: dried elderberries, honey, cinnamon sticks, ginger, and cloves (optional).

I boiled the berries and spices with some water in a pot.

Until it reduced by half.

 Then I strained it.

 And pressed out every last precious drop of juice.

 I poured in the honey (Our neighbors are beekeepers so we get awesome local honey!)

 And here is the finished elderberry syrup!

The syrup has a very strong concentrated sweet taste. My oldest boys don't love it, but in Jenna's words...."Its yummy in my tummy!". She literally begs me to give her more.

The syrup should last us about another week, and then I plan on making gummies with my next batch of syrup. I still have quite a bit of dried elderberries in my bag, so I'm hoping it will be enough to last us through most of this season. Have you ever tried elderberry syrup?