Raspberry & Elderberry Syrup
Forage for elderberries in late summer/early Autumn. Just make sure you're 100% certain that's what you've got! https://www.thegrizzlyforager.co.uk/elderberry/
The stalks of elderberries are toxic, so please remove and discard them. It's a tedious job but having done it a few times now, the resulting syrup is so good that I'm more than happy to do this multiple times over the summer. A little tip is to freeze them first so the berries pop off easier.
Raspberry & Elderberry Syrup
Ingredients:
A load of elderberries - pick out as many of the stalks as it humanly possible. It's feckin tedious. I ended up with 140g, which was piss poor to be fair.
A load of raspberries. I used a 300g bag of frozen ones, but about double the weight of the elderberries is a tasty ratio.
Sugar or honey. The better the honey, the better the health benefits. That cheap shite from the supermarkets isn't really worth it.
A star anise, or a cinnamon stick, or a bit of fresh grated real ginger.
Method:
Put your washed, de-stalked elderberries into a pan with the raspberries. Add enough water to only just cover them. Chuck the spice in - whatever you're using.
Bring to the boil, then reduce to a low heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Drain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, smushing the pulp through with a spatula.
Weigh the juice.
Weigh out the same weight, in sugar or honey. If you're using sugar, put it back over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. If using honey, leave the juice to cool for 10 minutes before stirring in the honey. The honey has nutritional benefits that you'll kill off with high heat.
Funnel into a sterilised glass bottle - a dark one if you have one. I used a Fentiman's ginger ale bottle that I'd cleaned out.
You can freeze (if in glass, leave plenty of headspace for expansion) or keep in the fridge for 2-3 months.
I take a spoonful every morning as soon as the nights start drawing in, then an extra spoonful if I feel a bit phlegmy or under the weather. Or it's lovely with lemonade or tonic water, using frozen raspberries as ice cubes.
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