How to Make Elderberry Extract (or How to Make Elderberry Tincture)


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Last year when we lived on the farm we found a large elderberry tree that had LOTS of fruit on it. We harvested a bunch (learn how you can, too!) and have since been enjoying finding new ways to use the berries. One thing I did right after harvesting the fresh berries last year was make elderberry extract (or elderberry tincture).

 It's incredibly easy, and super delicious. I use it to help make my elderberry syrup last longer (see my recipe). It's also wonderful to add to cider in the fall and winter. Mmmmm. Delicious.

 Here is the very simple recipe:

How to Make Elderberry Extract

Ingredients:
Equipment: 

Directions: fill glass bottle half way (or more) full with fresh elderberries (or 1/3 for dried). Slightly mash berries (optional). Fill bottle rest of the way with alcohol. Allow to sit in a dark place for at least 6 weeks, shaking occasionally. Make sure that berries are fully covered by alcohol. When ready to use, strain out berries. Enjoy. Stays good 1-2 years (though it never lasts that long at our house...).

 Step-by-step directions: 

 Pour berries in your glass jar, either to half or more (this is not an exact science, obviously...)
Slightly mash berries (if fresh). (This is an optional step.)
Leave in a dark place for 6 weeks, stirring occasionally. Here is the freshly steeping tincture pictured with my homemade vanilla extract which is also super easy to make. 

Resources

Wanting to learn more about foraging in this area? I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Northwest Foraging: The Classic Guide to Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest is a great beginning/intermediate guide to edible plants in our area. It has lots of pictures which make identification easy, and it has a lot of great ideas for what to do once you've found your delicious wild edibles, too! Check it out!

 Too busy to make your own tincture? Nature's Answer Alcohol-Free Sambucus Black Elder Berry Extract, 8-Fluid Ounces is a great alternative, especially if you are wanting an alcohol free version for the kiddos. 

 Looking for a good source of elderberries? While harvesting your own elderberries is absolutely wonderful, it's not an option for everybody. These Organic Elder Berries from Starwest Botanicals are a great source of these delicious and medicinal berries. 


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20 comments:

  1. About the bookSeptember 2, 2014 at 11:35 AM

    I'm always amazed by the things you make Jacquelyn! We love elderberry syrup but I've never tried to make it myself. (This is Jennifer, by the way. I can't get your comment program to let me use my name...)

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    Replies
    1. UnknownSeptember 2, 2014 at 2:37 PM

      Thanks, Jennifer! :) I wish I could give you some of my homemade elderberry syrup! Maybe if I ever get down to visit you. :)

      Delete
  2. Rachel @ day2day joysSeptember 2, 2014 at 12:59 PM

    Great tutorial, I have been wanting to make our own!

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    Replies
    1. UnknownSeptember 2, 2014 at 2:38 PM

      Thanks, Rachel! You should definitely make your own. It's so easy and so much less expensive. :)

      Delete
  3. UnknownSeptember 2, 2014 at 1:46 PM

    This is a great article!!! The photos are awesome, even takes the question out of what kind of vodka to buy. (I always feel a bit guilty buying cheap vodka for health food, lol.) Plus we buy so much elderberry syrup spray for sore throats; it's time we made our own! I like how you put in the foraging bit too. So much room for possibilities! Thanks for all your work to prepare your readers for instant success!

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    1. UnknownSeptember 2, 2014 at 2:40 PM

      Thanks for the compliments, Megan!! :) So glad you like the post. :)

      I hear you on the vodka. I probably could have done a better quality but it was all we could afford at the time. ;) I'm really not sure it makes that much of a difference, either. :) I wonder if you could just put a little bit of red raspberry leaf in the mix and just reuse your throat spray bottles. It would be so much cheaper! :)

      Delete
  4. UnknownSeptember 2, 2014 at 3:42 PM

    Love my elderberries, they are a staple here!

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  5. the organic kitchenSeptember 2, 2014 at 6:09 PM

    Lovely! I made some for the first time last week. Thanks so much!

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  6. Susanne RunionSeptember 2, 2014 at 11:02 PM

    I really want to do this. I have no idea where to find elderberries where I live or if they even grow here (San Francisco Bay Area) but I am pretty sure there is one health food store that sells them. I LOVE that your recipe doesn't use sugar. ALL the elderberry syrups in Whole Foods have tons of sugar in them which is exactly what you don't need when you are sick. Thanks so much for this.

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    Replies
    1. UnknownSeptember 4, 2014 at 3:39 PM

      I'm not sure if they are in the Bay Area or not. You can always get them online, though. I am going to be posting my recipe for elderberry syrup here very soon. No SUGAR! Just raw honey. :)

      Delete
  7. LisaSeptember 4, 2014 at 12:37 PM

    Is it safe for kids? (It's probably a silly question) :-)

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    1. UnknownSeptember 4, 2014 at 3:40 PM

      Well... I guess that depends on the parents perspective. :) It is alcohol. I wouldn't give this to Athena straight. I mix it in with other ingredients to make elderberry syrup, and I do give that to her. :)

      Delete
  8. Miz HelenSeptember 9, 2014 at 10:32 AM

    Your Elderberry Extract looks great! Hope you are having a great day and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

    ReplyDelete
  9. cnhartman2September 10, 2014 at 8:52 AM

    This is awesome! I've been wondering about how to make extracts lately. Will this work the same for others? (Like vanilla, perhaps?)

    Found you on Wake Up Wednesdays. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownSeptember 10, 2014 at 9:07 AM

      Hey! YES. Making extracts is SUPER easy. I first started by making vanilla extract. It's unbelievable how much money you can save. And it tastes so much better, too!

      If you are interested, here is my recipe for how to make vanilla extract: http://littleowlcrunchymomma.blogspot.com/2014/04/how-to-make-your-own-vanilla-extract.html.

      Delete
  10. Scott and Sarah NicholsSeptember 25, 2014 at 5:49 PM

    Oh I NEED to get some elderberries so I can make this! Thanks for such a great tutorial (beautiful pictures!) and for linking up at Simple Meals Friday. I'm pinning this one right now!

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  11. AnonymousSeptember 30, 2014 at 8:11 PM

    This is great! I have heard much about elderberry and elderberry syrup, etc. I will definitely pin this to see if I can do this sometime in the future. Thank you so much for sharing this with us at the Creative Style Linkup!

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  12. April GrantOctober 4, 2014 at 7:24 AM

    I've hardly heard of elderberries. What would you use the extract in?

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  13. UnknownFebruary 7, 2016 at 8:10 PM

    I made this extract but when I put it into little tincture bottles it seemed to be fermenting and blowing up the dropper. Is it bad or just active? No one is sick... ☺️

    ReplyDelete

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