The elderberry harvest has begun on our little farm. We have been selling the berries by the basket at our weekly farmers market booth, but still have an abundance for personal use.
These berries can be messy and time consuming to work with, but it is so worth the extra work. To make processing these berries easier just freeze them first, stems and all. Once frozen the berries will easily come off the stems. Take a frozen bunch and roll it between your two hands. The berries will fall right off.
Every autumn I make a large batch of elderberry syrup for our family to enjoy, through the colder months, when it seems like every few weeks a new sickness is making its way through our kids school. I work this delicious syrup into our every day lives so we consume it in more ways than just a spoonful a day. I love adding it to our homemade lemonade, gelatin gummy snacks, on pancakes & waffles, and mixed with sparkling water.
Here is the elderberry syrup recipe I use. I have developed this based on my personal tastes so you can adjust as you like.
Kendra Woloz 