Help ward off those winter bugs by supporting your immune system with this homemade elderberry echinacea syrup from The Crafty Gatherer.
The combination of potent immune supporting ingredients in this syrup make it a fantastic dietary supplement for preventing or reducing the symptoms of colds and flus. This includes elderberries which are high in vitamin A, B, C and antioxidants, echinacea for a fabulous immunity boost, honey which is soothing and antibacterial (Manuka honey has additional medicinal properties), as well as cinnamon and ginger which were used in ancient medicines for their great medicinal qualities.
Elderberry Echinacea Syrup Recipe
You can make a big batch of this to freeze and share with friends and family.
1 cup elderberries (I used frozen ones from our trees, but you could also use dried, I would use half the quantity.)
2 Tablespoons dried Echinacea
A cinnamon stick or two
2 Tablespoons fresh ginger root
3 Cups water
1/4 Cup raw honey (I used Manuka)
Bring all of the ingredients to a boil then simmer for 45 minutes, use the back of the spoon to crush up the berries while they are simmering. Sieve through a very fine sieve or muslin cloth and then leave to cool for roughly 15 minutes and then stir in the honey.
You can keep this in the fridge for a month or two, or freeze in batches and use when needed. I give roughly 5mls to my kiddies twice a day throughout Autumn and Winter.
The Crafty Gatherer is a small family run business who create and sell handcrafted tools for use in the home and garden. They also run gardening workshops from their home in Papamoa. Through their products and the way they live, they hope to share that it is the small choices we make everyday that have the biggest impact – from the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the businesses we buy from and how we share with and look after our community.
You can visit their website here.
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