How to Make Your Own Elderberry Syrup

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This time of year when the days start to get a little shorter and the evenings get a little colder, we can look forward to a Autumn's beautiful color display, cider pressing parties, apple sauce making, pumpkin pie and... cold and flu season. 

Of course, like most mothers, I have a few tricks up my sleeve for helping fight off sickness over these wetter and colder months, which includes, not going anywhere or seeing anyone for three months. Kidding, of course. 

It's inevitable. Even if your friends with mostly families who try to leave the kiddos at home when they have the sniffles, or quarantine them when they have the stomach flu, unless you live in a cave, you are bound to come into contact with something at some point. 

Our family repertoire includes extra servings of cod liver oil, as much fresh air as possible, very little sugar, and homemade elderberry syrup. I keep a bottle of this in the door of my fridge. I take a sip of it every day, and more if I feel like I am fighting something off. And I make Athena and Brian take it, too. Athena thinks it's some special sort of "'bucha"

There are many different recipes for elderberry syrup, this is just how I make it. I like adding the homemade elderberry extract because it helps it last longer. Make sure you store it in the fridge. It will keep for months.

Homemade Elderberry Syrup

Yield: 2 quarts

Ingredients:

• 2 cups elderberries (harvest your own or buy them here)
• 3 quarts water
• 2 Tbs ground ginger
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 4 star anise
• 1 tsp cloves
• 2 cups raw honey (best to buy local. Second best? Buy here.)
• 1 cup elderberry extract (make your own or buy it here)

Equipment:

• Large pot
• 2 in. diameter stainer (where to buy)
• Candy thermometer (where to buy) 
• glass bottles for storing (I use these flip top bottles)

Directions: Combine all ingredients (except honey and extract) in a large pot. Bring to rolling boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer for an hour. Cool to 110 degrees. Add honey. Add extract. Strain out the berries with a small strainer. Be sure to press the berries to remove all the juice. When syrup has cooled completely, add in elderberry extract. Store in the refrigerator. Keeps for many months.

Step-by-step picture instructions:

Combine all ingredients (except honey and extract) in a large pot. Bring to rolling boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer for an hour. Cool to 110 degrees. Add honey, stirring constantly. 

Add extract. Strain out the berries with a small strainer. 

Be sure to press the berries to remove all the juice.

When syrup has cooled completely, add in elderberry extract. 

Store in the refrigerator. Keeps for many months. Enjoy!

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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:

• Elderberries (how to harvest, or where to buy)
• 100-proof Vodka (or other alcohol of choice)

Equipment: 

• glass bottle (what I used) 

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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Natural Home Remedies for Croup

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(Photo Source)

Recently a friend of mine's little six month old came down with croup. I don't have personal experience with croup, but thought I would share with you her natural remedies for treating her son at home. (Bear in mind, neither of us are medical professionals, just one momma talking about her experience, and another sharing it with you.)

What is Croup?

I was not familiar with croup until my friend's baby came down with it. She described her son as having a cough like a "barking seal". According to kidshealth.org:

Croup is a condition that causes an inflammation of the upper airways — the voice box (larynx) and windpipe (trachea). It often leads to a barking cough or hoarseness, especially when a child cries. Most cases of croup are caused by viruses... Viral croup is most common — and symptoms are most severe — in children 6 months to 3 years old... Most cases of viral croup are mild and can be treated at home. Rarely, croup can be severe and even life threatening. The term spasmodic croup refers to a type of croup that develops quickly and may happen in a child with a mild cold. The barking cough usually begins at night and is not accompanied by fever.... Treatment of symptoms is the same for either form of croup. (Source)

The origin of the names seems to pretty accurately describe the symptoms of the disease. Croup is an Early English Modern verb meaning "to cry hoarsely".  How can you tell if your child has croup? It starts with cold-like symptoms (runny nose, fever, etc) but as the upper airway becomes inflamed, the child has a high-pitched or squeaking noise and a loud cough like a barking seal. Symptoms are worse at night than during the day. 

Natural Home Remedies for Croup

The following ideas are from my friend whose 6 month old recently had croup: 

"If your child gets croup, here are some things to do. 

• Put the child in the bathroom and run the shower or get in the shower with the baby. Moisture helps a lot with croup. 

• Also, a humidifier by the bed and going out into the cold night air for a bit. These things really work. I even put my baby in front of the humidifier for a while. 

It was really bad the second night and he was having trouble breathing and barking alot, so those were the tactics we used to get him through the night. During the day, it gets much better, so I had a chance to figure out a plan for the night - the methods I mentioned above plus onion poultice. The next day, I looked up the old:

• Onion poultice technique. Before we went to bed that night,  I cut up half an onion and sauteed it in a little bit of olive oil - until before it begins to brown. I put it in a muslin bag (you could use any cloth) so that it was covered with a couple layers of cloth - about 4 to 6 square inches. I waited for it to get warm (not hot) to the touch. Then I put it on his chest/neck area and put a towel over it and a hot water bottle over that. I waited about 30 minutes. 

I wasn't sure if it did anything, so I took it off. Within 5 minutes he took one of those big deep baby breaths. So then I knew it had helped. 

During that night, he still had the croupy (barking seal) fits a couple more times. I used another onion poultice (I had chopped up some onions to have them ready to cook for late night). Again, after the poultice was taken off, he took a deep breath without coughing. That was the last time I used the poultice (just used it twice). That night was better. Then, the next night, he slept all the way through the night. 

He now (6 days later) has a mild cough (which may be partially due to all the saliva collecting from pre-teething) and sleeps through the night. 

• Oh, and most importantly, breast-feeding. He breast fed like a fiend the whole time. 

I actually started getting a sore throat and sick at the same time and decided I should try a little bit of my own milk. It was unbelievable how my sore throat was coated and I felt much better for a little while. I partook a few hours later and, again, so healing. My sickness never actually got full blown. I think that probably helped him the most. Anyway, thought this might help someone, since croup is going around."


So glad they are doing better! Hopefully none of you have to deal with croup. But if you do, maybe her experience can help a little.

Have you dealt with croup? What would you advice for home remedies?

Be healthy. Be well.

<3

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