Spiced, Easy Elderberry Syrup for Cold & Flu Prevention
 
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Build immunity against colds and flu with this easy, homemade, great-tasting syrup. It can be made with a few, simple ingredients, or all listed below. I’ve written “optional” by the ones you can leave out, but give them all a try for incredible flavor and immune-boosting power.
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Ingredients
  • 4 cups water
  • ½ cup elderberries
  • 3 tablespoons elderflowers (optional)
  • 2–3 tablespoons fresh-grated ginger or 1½ teaspoons dried
  • 1 teaspoon whole cloves (optional)
  • 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
  • 2 teaspoons dried lemon and/or orange peel (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 5–7 whole cardamom pods (optional)
  • Raw, unpasteurized honey (you’ll need about ½ cup honey per cup of elderberry reduction)
Let’s get started.
  1. Add all ingredients to a large pot or Dutch oven and bring to a boil.
  2. If you have a chopstick at home or a bamboo skewer, drop it into the mix vertically and mark the depth of the mix at this starting point. If you don’t have either, drop a butterknife into the mix and mark the depth with a rubberband—kitchen hacking at it’s best!
  4. Bring contents to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover (helps trap beneficial properties instead of them floating into the kitchen) until liquid is reduced by half—use your skewer or chopstick or banded butterknife to help you gauge this reduction. It should take around 1 hour.
  6. Strain mixture (through a cheesecloth or sieve) over a large, glass bowl to remove solid ingredients. Squeeze out all the goodness.
  7. Allow liquid to cool to room temperature, then stir in honey (if liquid is too hot/warm, it can diminish probiotic/preservative power in the honey). If liquid is cold, it may be tough to dissolve raw honey into the mixture, so gently warm over low heat on the stove and stir, quickly removing from heat as soon as you can.
  8. Transfer elderberry syrup to a glass jar and store in the fridge.
  9. Pack up some in a glass jar and share with someone you love.
Notes
To support immunity you can start with ½–1 tsp per day for kiddos and 1 tsp–1 tbsp for adults. If you end up sick, take every 3 hours until symptoms disappear.

Thanks to the natural preservative power of ingredients like raw honey, this syrup will last the entire winter season if kept in the fridge.
Recipe by YumUniverse at https://yumuniverse.com/easy-elderberry-syrup-cold-flu/