The Elderberries (Sambucus nigra) are abundant this year. Great bunches of them are hanging off the branches, bowing down almost begging to be picked and made into an Elderberry Cordial Syrup.
As humans we can benefit a lot from Elderberry culinary delights. In folklore Elderberries have been used as a protection against influenza. World renowned Israeli virologist Dr. Madeleine Mumcuoglu has dedicated her life to researching the health benefits of Elderberry extract, and has established a clinically proven treatment against flu (including swine flu and avian flu).
Ingredients
- Bucket of Elderberries
- Granulated sugar
- Cloves
Suggested Instructions
- Cut the Elderberries just below the stalks.
- Use a fork to remove the Elderberries from the stalks into a bowl.
- Place the Elderberries in a saucepan with enough water to cover them.
- Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Strain the Elderberry mixture through a muslin or straining bag, squeezing to make sure you get all the juice out.
- For each pint of juice you get, add 1lb of granulated sugar and 12 cloves.
- Boil the mixture for 10 minutes.
- Allow the Elderberry mixture to cool, and then bottle in sterilised glass bottles, making sure that the caps have a plastic seal.
- Add an equal amount of the cloves to each bottle you make up.
The Elderberry cordial syrup will last up to two years.
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hi do you know how to make clove cordial it is sold for £5 a bottle and we drink it with hot water at christmas. Would love to be able to make it for myself and relatives.
Eileen: I don’t have a specific clove cordial recipe, but would assume it wasn’t JUST made from cloves as that would taste yuck! Maybe just up the quantity of cloves I give above in this Elderflower Cordial recipe.
Dear Robin,
Thanks for your comment and tip regarding my query for the Elderberry cordial, I had since rebottled the cordial in different jars and see if the funghi presist before I chuck them out; and I had used the leftover in my bread making and they tasted fine.
What baffles me is that the jelly fish form substance as to why and how they occured. Could that possibly be from the acidity of the fruit themselves? I did follow many of the advices given from my experienced friends but they have never mentioned this.
Thank you, Robin.
Thanks Robin, that is really helpful. Really love the elderberry cordial recipe.
Miranda: Hmmm, not sure why that would happen. Maybe you added less sugar which would create mould even in sterilised bottles. To be honest I haven’t a clue why you grew a jellyfish
maybe the jellyfish substance is a naturally occuring vinegar mother.
Hi
Have a tree full of elderberries and love the sound of elderberry cordial, but not sure about the cloves? Are they absolutely necessary? Do they make the cordial very clovey tasting because I am not too keen on cloves.
Thanks
Jude: You can leave out the cloves if you don’t like them in this elderberry cordial recipe.
Hi thank you for sharing your recipe, i’m going to give it go.. I have bottles with metal caps/lids ( tomato sauce bottles) do you think this will be ok ?
many thanks
lynn
Lynn: Your bottles should be fine, just make sure that they caps have a rubber seal inside them, otherwise use different bottles.
Hi,
I’m from Bulgaria and Elderberries are very popular here. One way to preserve them without heating them and destroying a lot of good stuff is to just use the berries and put them in glass jars in thin layers alternating with layers of sugar/honey. Also, it’s a bit late for this, but when they are in bloom, you can make syrup from the flowers – just pick about 30 bunches, wash them and soak overnight in 1 litre of cold water together with 2-3 lemons, washed and sliced. on the next day strain the liquid making sure you squeeze out all the nice flavours, and dissolve about a kilo of sugar in it, after that put in bottles and enjoy with water/soda and some ice.
I also grew jellyfish in both my first attempt at elderberry cordial and elderflower cordial. I am thinking I probably did not add enough sugar, as I don’t like things too sweet. Also I used liquor bottles which perhaps I didn’t sterilize properly. Now i make it with brandy. It is delicious, but I am going to retry the non alcoholic version again this year. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Karen
the brandy idea sounds delicious – how much do you add?
Hi , when the recipe says, A bucket of Elderberries , does this mean with or without the stalks.
Paul: Cut the Elderberries just below the stalks. You will be forking off the berries when you get them home.
I am new to foraging and i have recently harvested lots of elderberries some of which i have made into jam.The other half i was thinking of doing something with to maybe give people at Christmas the brandy one sounds good thou a recipe would be handy any other idea would be appreciated.
Hi Robin in the past I have picked,washed and broken the berries off the bunch and freeze them and only make enough cordial a bt at a time and either add hot or cold water to it for a refreshing drink. Is it ok to freeze elderberries? I also freeze the flowers and use it when and if I need it. As a child my father used to steep the very young leaves in hot water, make a tea and give it to us to calm our coughs. I still do it if when I have a cough or cold coming on.
I made some elderberry syrup and it is incredibly bitter tasting under the sweet taste. I’ve never had it before so maybe that’s what it’s supposed to taste like. Followed the recipe. Could I have used the wrong kind of elderberries? Any advice?
So is this like a cough syrup medicine to take on a spoon …or do you dilute it with water to drink like a glass of ribena ?
I am going to try it ..but I will have to put it into jam jars as I have no glass bottles .
When I make Elder flower juice , I put it into empty plastic milk bottles and freeze it . Maybe could do this with the cordial ?
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