12/15/2025
🎄December’s recipe of the month is a tasty, Elderberry Immune Glycerite - it also makes for great gifts!
🍇Elderberry has long traditional use backed by modern research as a remedy for preventing and treating colds and flu. Its rich purple-black color represents the anthocyanins which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities. Enjoy it by the tablespoonful, straight off the spoon or mixed into tea. In the summer, you can add it to a refreshing glass of sparkling water for a healthy spritzer.
🍇Ingredients:
5 pounds fresh black elderberry fruit, small stems included
4 cups vegetable glycerine, approximate- this is a non-alcohol herbal extraction
🍇Directions:
Harvest black elderberries when fully ripe, around Labor Day. Remove large stems but small stems are fine. Wash and place in a colander to shake off excess water.
Place berries in a large pot and put on medium heat. No additional water is needed as berries will juice as they start to cook. Cook in a covered pot on low simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool.
Pour berries and liquid through a large, fine sieve lined with cheesecloth. Let it drain for several minutes.
When cooled, wrap cheesecloth around the wet mass of berry pulp and squeeze and wring the cheesecloth gently through a sieve until most of the moisture has left the pulp, catching the juice into a 2 quart or larger bowl.
Let the juice cool a bit more and measure the juice. Add glycerine in an amount equal to the measured juice. Stir.
Once cool, pour into sterile glass jars (amber glass bottles are ideal as they prevent light from oxidizing the contents) and store in the refrigerator for up to 12 months.
