Apothecary
Elderberry Syrup
Dark, spiced, and kept in the fridge for winter — the most traditional jar in the cupboard.
Elderberry syrup is one of the oldest preparations on the winter shelf, made wherever Elder grows. In our house it gets taken by the spoonful on cold mornings and poured over pancakes on Sundays, and nobody complains about either.
It is simple to make, but elderberries need respect: they must be ripe, completely free of stems, and properly cooked.
Elderberry Syrup
You will need
Method
If using fresh berries, freeze the clusters first — the berries then roll off the stems with a fork. Pick out any green berries and every scrap of stem.
Put the berries, water, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and orange peel in a pan. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, until the liquid has reduced by roughly half.
Take the pan off the heat and mash the berries with a potato masher to release the last of their juice.
Strain through a fine sieve lined with muslin, squeezing the cloth to get everything out. Discard the berries and spices.
Let the liquid cool until it is just warm to the touch, then stir in the honey until dissolved. Adding honey to very hot liquid spoils its flavour.
Pour into a clean bottle, label it with the date, and keep it in the fridge.
Notes
Keeping: refrigerate and use within a month or two. Throw it away if it fizzes, smells sour or shows any mould.
Without honey: use the same amount of sugar, dissolved while the liquid is hot. It will keep a little longer.
In the kitchen: a spoonful in sparkling water makes a lovely dark soda; it is also very good over yoghurt.
Plants in this recipe