Easy Shelf Stable Elderberry Syrup

If you hesitate to make elderberry syrup, because it won’t be shelf stable, try this recipe. It is made in two parts, and combined to make shelf stable elderberry syrup that doesn’t need to be canned or refrigerated for storage. Store in bottles, or jars, for winter cold and flu season.

Making normal elderberry syrup, as needed, throughout the winter cold and flu season can be challenging if you have limited time. You can make a stable version, that doesn’t need canning, and store it for your winter needs. This variation of elderberry syrup is made in two parts with an alcohol, or vinegar, infusion and then an elderberry and honey syrup is added. Using a vinegar for the first part makes it an oxymel. Once you start using the syrup, refrigerate it to help it stay fresh.

There are three, currently circulating, myths about the safety and efficiency of using elderberry for food and medicine. Check out the explanation behind these myths, and the safety protocols for working with elderberry.

Shelf stable elderberry syrup:

Shelf Stable Elderberry syrup

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• Author: Sarah

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Description

This recipe is made in two parts. First an elderberry tincture is made by infusing elderberry and brandy. In the second part additional elderberries are made into syrup.The two formulas are added together to create a more potent remedy that is stable at room temperature.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Part  1 Ingredients:

• ½ cup dried elderberry or 1 cup fresh elderberries
• 1 cup brandy

Part 2 Ingredients:

• ½ cup dried elderberries or 1 cup fresh elderberries
• 2 inch piece of ginger, sliced (optional)
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup honey

 

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Instructions

Part One: Directions

1. Place elderberries and brandy together in a pint jar. Cover with a lid. Shake well. Set aside.
2. Shake daily for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, strain, reserving liquid

Part Two Directions:

1. Put elderberries, ginger,and water into a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, with the lid off. Remove from heat. Cool slightly.
2. Strain out elderberries. Return the liquid to the pan. Simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Remove from heat.
3. Cool to just warm to the touch. Stir in honey and elderberry tincture.
4. Pour your shelf stable elderberry syrup into sanitized pint jars. Cap tightly. Label and date:

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Yield: 3 cups

Time: Hands On: 30 min. Wait: 2 weeks.

This recipe is made in two parts. First an elderberry tincture is made by infusing elderberry and brandy. (For those who avoid alcohol, elderberries may be infused in cider vinegar instead, for this recipe.) In the second part additional elderberries are made into syrup.The two formulas are added together to create a more potent remedy that is stable at room temperature, this is your shelf stable elderberry syrup.

Part 1: Ingredients

• ½ cup dried elderberry or 1 cup fresh elderberries
• 1 cup brandy

Directions

Place elderberries and brandy together in a pint jar. Cover with a lid. Shake well. Set aside. Shake daily for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, strain, reserving liquid.

Part 2 Ingredients:

• ½ cup dried elderberries or 1 cup fresh elderberries
• 2 inch piece of ginger, sliced (optional)
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup honey

Directions:

Put elderberries, ginger,and water into a pot. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, with the lid off. It should come to a vigorous boil. Remove from heat. Cool slightly. Strain berries out, saving liquid and discard the spent berries. Return the liquid to the pan. Simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Remove from heat. Stir in honey while still fairly hot, then add the elderberry tincture. Pour your shelf stable elderberry syrup into hot, sanitized pint jars. Cap tightly. Label and date. This stable syrup is safe for adults, make one without alcohol for kids.

Shelf life: 1 year. Refrigerate after opening.

To use:

Adults: 1 teaspoon at the first sign of a cold or flu, and up to every 2 hours thereafter; Children under 12, ½ teaspoon at the first sign of a cold, and up to every 2 hours thereafter; Infants and Toddlers: ¼ teaspoon at the first sign of a cold, and up to every 2 hours thereafter.

But you can also use this syrup to support your immune system all year. Just add a teaspoon, or tablespoon, to your bottle of water that you carry around with you. It gives the water a nice flavor. Elderberries are functional food. Make them a regular part of your diet.

Variations:

You can adjust the flavor profile of this elderberry syrup by switching out the ginger with other herbs. You could use cinnamon or cloves, alongside the elderberries to give both a different flavor, but still keep most of the same benefits.

This is the best shelf stable elderberry syrup recipe, and you can add in elderflower, other herbs, and spices since the alcohol is what avoids other types of preservatives. There are many benefits of elderberries, including immune support and their high antioxidant content. I use elderberry berries for jello, when toddlers are sick, with maple syrup for sweetener instead of honey for the really young ones.

If you have fresh berries, use those instead of dried ones. Use the elderberries you have on hand.

More than just an herbal supplement

Elderberries are so much more than just an herbal supplement.  Elderberries are rich in anthocyanins, antioxidants, and vitamin C.  They are one of our richest sources of quercetin, a flavonoid that acts like a zinc ionophore, helping the body utilize zinc more efficiently.

They are a readily available wild fruit throughout North America and Europe.  In areas that are too cold for grapes, elderberries have been used for wine and mead making.  And if you have a wild patch growing near you, they are free for the picking.  (Always make a positive ID before picking any wild plant for use as food or medicine)

Those flavonoids and anthocyanins in elderberries make them one of the best natural defenses against viruses, scientifically shown to prevent viruses from replicating in the body.  But the key to this action is to take them early, often, and after.

One of the best ways to use elderberries is to incorporate them into your daily menus by adding the syrup to smoothies, using the juice for jelly, candy, and dessert, or adding them to salad dressings, and sauces.  Elderberry mead is an amazing way to add more elderberries to your diet.

You can find my recipe for elderberry mead in Everything Elderberry: How to Forage, Cultivate, and Cook with This Amazing Natural Remedy by Suzannah Schmurak.  This brand new book couldn’t have come at a more needed time.

Suzannah’s book shares the latest research on elderberry’s medicinal properties, foraging and growing information, and more than 60 recipes for making the most of your elderberries and elderflowers.  Whether or not you’ve used natural remedies before, Everything Elderberry will show you how best to make use of this versatile medicinal plant.

It is full of well researched information about growing, harvesting, and using elderberries and elder flowers in the kitchen and in the home apothecary.

It goes deeper than simple elderberry cough syrup, with creative desserts, from cakes and pies, to candy, and fruit leather.  There are apothecary staples too, like immune boosting elderberry tincture, elder flower lip balm, and elder leaf salve.

This book is a collection of elder wisdom that draws on experts in the fields for herbalism, homesteading, and gardening.

What I found most helpful was the information about propagation.  Having stuck elder sticks in the ground to multiply my bushes, with more failure than success, I appreciated the cultivation and propagation chapter the most.

With health threats affecting every country in the world every garden should have an elder to watch over it.

This book is beneficial for those brand new to herbal medicine.  It takes the mystery out of making herbal remedies and demonstrates that herbalism is just good nutrition with a little extra help when you need it.  Everything Elderberry is also inspiration for experienced herbalists and a good reminder that “food is medicine.” 

Get your copy of Everything Elderberry here.