Elderberry & Ginger Winter Remedy Recipe

(The recipe is at the bottom of the text)

Storing quantities of this 'Elderberry & Ginger Winter Remedy' for when required, should be a staple of all natural health loving households.

Elderberries have long been known by wise old women to be an excellent natural all round medicine (probably a few wise old men too).  This is something I was born and raised with, and still continue to practise today.

I found several ideas for a medicinal version of the popular elderberry cordial, but they all contained sugar and none contained ginger.  So I ended up concocting this recipe, which embodies everything I consider good for combating colds, pesky sore throats, bacterial and viral infections, as well as creating something you can take daily to help combat cholesterol, improve your vision, as a diuretic, boost your immune system, help with allergies, as an antioxidant, and much more.  Elderberries are also slightly laxative in nature, and so will help regulate a sluggish bowel, in a very gentle way.

In Chinese medicine they is used to treat rheumatism and bodily injuries.

Some studies have also begun to indicate that Elderberries have a role to play in combating cancer and some other immune diseases - the anthocyanins help to rebuild damaged cells, as well as protect them via the immune system.

It's a new take on the old saying about an apple a day, "A spoonful a day keeps the doctor away" (sorry apples).  But this is something I have done for years throughout the winter.

The compounds found in Elderberries are many, and include vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B, amino acids, tannin, rutin, carotenooids, flavonoids (anthocyanins), viburnic acid, and a lot more.

Elderberry & Ginger Winter Remedy Recipe


Ingredients

(The exact quantities are not important, but are more guidelines)

2 lb Elderberries - measured when de-stalked so just the clean berries remain

3 teacups Water

3 teacups Honey

Organic whole Lemon

2 inch piece fresh root Ginger


Directions

1.     Put the clean berries into a stainless steel saucepan, add the water. 

2.     Add the juice of the lemon to the berries, and the peel also.  Making sure to NOT include the 'pith', which is the bitter white layer beneath the peel/skin and before the actual lemon segments.  It is important that the lemon is organic, as non-organic lemons have wax and other nasty chemicals on the skins.

3.     Chop the fresh ginger root into small bits, and add them to the berry mix also.

4.     Bring to the boil and then simmer gently for about 50 minutes.  Keep the lid on the saucepan, so as not to loose any of the precious juice by condensation and evaporation.  If it looks like the water is too low, add another cup.

5.     Turn off the heat and mash the berries with a potato masher, until as much juice as possible is extracted from the berries.

6.     Strain the juice and mashed berries through a muslin cloth, or another suitable fine meshed fruit/wine making strainer.  Return the liquid to a clean saucepan.  The remaining squished berries, lemon bits and ginger are great on the compost heap, given to chickens, or maybe the birds would enjoy them.

7.     Add the honey to the mixture in the saucepan.

8.     Turn the heat back on, slowly bringing the mixture to the boil.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes.  Again, keep the lid on the saucepan so as not to loose any of the liquid.

9.     While still hot, pour into sterilised bottles and screw the lids on immediately.  Tip each bottle upside down for a couple of minutes to ensure complete sterilisation of the lids etc.

This will keep for at least a year, maybe more.  But obviously, making fresh batches each year is best, as you will then have fresh berries each year.



Please note:  The above recipe is recommended as an aid to good health, combating a cold, sore throats, coughs and the flu.  It is in no way intended to be medical advice - if you are at all worried, see your doctor.

Elderflower Cordial Recipe

It's that time of year again - late spring/early summer - and the Elder bushes are in bud here, half way up the west coast of Ireland.  This means I have to make sure that I have all the ingredients I need to make my Elderflower cordial, ready and waiting for when the flowers finally open.

sambucus nigra flowers

Elder bushes, or sambucus nigra, are more like a large shrub, or a small bushy tree, and when the flowers finally open it is for such a short time.  This is a real shame because the blooms are truly beautiful, and so elegant.  The colour of perfect pale cream wedding dresses.

sambucus nigra bush in flower

Wiki page link for sambucus_nigra




The Elder bush has many very well documented medicinal and food uses, which I will write about in my next couple of blog posts.  But for today I wanted to share one of the recipes I use to make Elderflower Cordial, as just maybe you already have the flowers blooming in your area.

Elderflower cordial is simply divine diluted with water, but sparkling water will at that extra special zip !  And for a really heavenly treat, add it neat to vermouth and a slice of lemon.

If you fancy vanilla ice cream, then try it with undiluted Elderflower cordial drizzled over it...

I have several recipes for this cordial, and to be honest this one is probably my favourite.  I'm not sure why, but it keeps well and, for me, that is very important.

If you want to make sure the cordial lasts a long time, pour it into small plastic bottles (small Fanta or Coke bottles are perfect) and freeze it.  Remember to leave at least an inch gap at the top, to allow for the cordial to expand when it freezes.  Take out a bottle at a time to use, and keep it in the fridge once defrosted.

Elderflower Cordial Recipe

(taken from the BBC Good Food website - I adapted this from the original recipe by Jane Hornby)

Ingredients

Elderflower heads - 20 complete heads

White sugar - 5lbs 5ozs (2.5kg)

Organic lemons - 2 (if not organic, then at least unwaxed)

Citric acid - 3ozs (85g)

Water - 2.75 pints (1.5 litres) (preferably with no fluoride or chlorine)

Instructions

1       Remove most of the zest from the 2 lemons, being careful not to include any of the white pith.  Then slice the lemons.  Put all this to one side for a minute.

2       Trim the flower head stalks, leaving just enough to hold the heads together.  Swish them around gently in a large bowl of cold water.  This is to remove any small wildlife, dust and other unwanted debris.

3        Put the water and sugar together into a large stainless steel saucepan. Simmer gently without boiling, until the sugar has all dissolved and you have a clear sugar syrup.  Stir to prevent bottom sticking and to help the dissolving.

4       Bring the sugar syrup to boiling point now, and once boiling, take it completely off the heat.

5        Put the flower heads, citric acid, lemon zest and sliced lemons into the hot sugar syrup, stirring them well.

6        Cover the saucepan, making sure no insects or dust can get in.  Leave to infuse for 24 to 36 hours.

7        Strain the cold mixture.  One of the easiest ways to do this is to take a large colander and a clean tea towel.  Line the colander with the tea towel, and place the colander over a very clean bowl.  Pour or ladle the now cold mixture into the colander to drain through into the bowl.  Do NOT press or squeeze the solids to try and get more liquid/cordial out, as this will simply make the cordial cloudy and may also make it slightly bitter.

8        Pour the strained cordial into sterilised bottles; glass if being stored on a shelf or in the fridge, plastic if being stored in a freezer.

Notes

* You could also freeze the cordial in ice cube trays.  Once frozen, pop them out and store in bags, taking out only what is required each time.

* It is very important that all utensils and pans etc be properly sterilised.  Failure to do this will result in fungus and other growth inside the bottles, and the cordial will be unusable.

* Storage - in the fridge about 6 weeks, frozen up to 1 year, on a cool shelf maybe 2-4 weeks.

* Alternative flavouring - why not add a vanilla pod to a bottle or two, for  a slightly different flavour.

The Magic of Elderberries

How to Get Rid of the Flu, or Better Still Avoid it Altogether
 
Elderberry & Clove Cordial Recipe click here



It's not just some old wives tale your Granny used to waffle on about.  Nor some kind of witchy cleverness.  Elderberries are in fact an easily accessible, locally growing Superfood!

Well local if you live, like me, in Ireland.  They are also prolific in the UK, and grow across North America and Europe.  I don't know if Elder grows in Australia or anywhere else in the world not mentioned.  And there are hundreds, if not thousands, of varieties.

Many people years ago took a glass of Elderberry & Clove Cordial/Syrup, that they had gathered and made themselves, every day.  This kept colds and flu at bay, and if you did contract something like this, it would only last a couple of days and be less severe.

Quote:
"In 1992, a team of Israeli scientists studied the effect of elderberry on flu patients. During a flu epidemic, half of their patients were given an elderberry syrup, the other half a placebo. The results: within 24 hours, 20% of the patients receiving elderberry had gotten significantly better. Within two days, 75% of the elderberry group were much improved; within 3 days 90% were completely cured.
Among the placebo group, only 8% of patients improved within 24 hours and it was a full 6 days before 90% of the patients were cured."
and
"Studies have even shown that elderberry worked better than prescription remedies such as Tamiflu and Relenza.  Take that, Big Pharma!"

Both the above quotes are from a blog 'TennZen' Elderberry Natural Flu Fighter

Blackberry Syrup

I made this this afternoon with a few blackberries I picked in my bottom field.

Its reasonably quick and easy - and the result is the most fresh tasting and vibrantly coloured ice cream sauce you can imagine !

Of course you can use for many other things too.........

I measure the fruit and sugar in cups or mugs or whatever you please !

Blackberry Syrup or Sauce

Freshly picked Blackberries
White Sugar
Water
Lemon Juice

1. Wash the blackberries to remove bits and wildlife...

2. For every cup of blackberries, use a 1/4 cup of water.

3. Put the blackberries and water into a large saucepan.

4. With a potato masher or something similar, squish the fruit down well, to release the juice.

5. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to simmer.

6. Simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the fruit is soft.

7. Pour the pulp/fruit mash through a fine sieve or a muslin/jelly bag, into a bowl. Don't push it through harshly, let it drip and just encourage it gently by pressing it with a spatula or similar.

8. Once the juice stops running through, measure the juice and discard the pulp to the compost.

9. For every cup of juice add a cup of white sugar, and put all this back into the cleaned saucepan with about 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice per cup of juice.

10. Bring it to the boil and stir to dissolve the sugar.

11. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the liquid becomes slightly viscous, but still runny. This should only take a minute.

12. Pour into sterilised jars while very hot and seal immediately.

Will keep for months and months.