Homemade Elderberry Juice

My backyard elderberry harvest this year was fantastic! This is such an easy shrub to grow and offers such ecosystem benefits – I encourage everyone to try it out if you have space with clean, healthy soil! (Just a couple of early Spring cuttings from at least two different shrub varieties is enough to get you started.)

This recipe is more of a drink than the syrup you might buy at the store. Elderberry juice is great by the tablespoon each day during the transition from fall to winter, or when you’re already feeling a bit under the weather. This recipe makes about one wide-mouth mason jar to enjoy over the coming weeks.

Elderberry Juice (Sambucus nigra)

1.5 cups fresh elderberries** (you can substitute with frozen or dried elderberries, but the fresh ones likely have more nutrient value)

4 cups cold filtered water

1 tsp cinnamon (this “warms up” an otherwise “cold” herb)

1/2 to 1 cup raw, local honey

Juice from 1 lemon (about 2 to 3 tbsp)

1. Bring berries and cold water to a boil. Reduce temperature to a gentle simmer. Add cinnamon.
2. Continue at a gentle simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or slightly longer – you want the liquid to reduce by about half.
3. Remove from the heat and strain the liquid into another glass dish. Gently mash the berries as you go to release all liquid.
4. Dispose of/compost the berries.
5. Let cool for about 10 minutes (or until tepid) and then add honey. (Water that’s too hot will destroy some of the immune-benefiting nutrients in the honey.)
6. Add lemon juice – particularly if you intend to store some of this syrup for more than a day or two.
7. Store for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

**Don’t eat fresh (uncooked) elderberries. Most people will feel nauseous or throw them up. The cyanide chemical inside the seeds (which are inside the berries), is how the plant protects itself from animals – including humans! The cooking process breaks down this unpleasant chemical. (Cyanide chemicals are also found in apple and cherry seeds.)

Though generally considered quite safe, elderberries are not tolerated by everyone. And though their anti-viral capacity is excellent, all herbs have their nuances for best use when used medicinally. Consult a knowledgeable healthcare provider if hoping to use elderberries for medicinal purposes.