Directions:

In a small pot add the dried elderberries and water. Turn the stove on to medium-low heat. Once the elderberries and water begin to simmer add in the other ingredients.  Simmer the mixture until the volume decreases by half, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. (Pressing the berries against the side of the pot as you stir helps squeeze out the goodness!)

Once the volume has decreased by half, let the mixture cool slightly to avoid any burning during the straining process. (Leave the mixture warm enough to melt honey afterward.)  Using a fine mesh strainer over a sturdy bowl, pour part of the mixture into the strainer, smashing the berries with a wooden spoon and letting the liquid drain into the bowl. Continue adding mixture to the strainer and smashing with the spoon to get as much liquid as possible out of the berries. (You can stop here, or, dump the pulp from the strainer onto cheesecloth and wring out additional juice into the bowl with your hands. The elderberries WILL stain your hands. Use gloves to avoid this.)

Pour the warm strained liquid into a glass measuring cup and measure the volume. Add the juice back into the bowl or pot. Measure out honey to 3/4 of the amount of liquid measured above. Mix the honey into the elderberry juice until well blended to form the syrup.

Pour the syrup into a container for refrigerator storage. We recommend a swing-top bottle or mason jar. This elderberry syrup should keep 2-3 months in the fridge. Typical serving size is 1 teaspoon daily, or 1 teaspoon 3-4 times a day during sickness. Feel free to play with the quantities of the secondary ingredients to adjust for taste in your next batch!