Keeping 3 kids healthy during the winter is no joke. Last year we started started giving them elderberry gummies and syrup we purchased online. We saw immediate results by using elderberries and even with the flu going around, our kids have stayed healthy for the most part. We would still be purchasing the products online if they weren’t so expensive! It was costing us around $50 for a month’s supply which didn’t include being able to give them more if they started to get sick. The recipe below made 3 quarts which is a super large batch, but all five of us take it every day so we go through it super quick! The total cost for this recipe was $18 and we only used half our bag of berries so we can make more. This batch of elderberry syrup would have cost us $160 if we had purchased online like we had been doing. I swear by this stuff to keep us healthy and I’m so excited to share our recipe with you!

Here’s the recipe!

2 cups of elderberries (linked here)

10 1/2 Cups of water

1 1/4 Cup of local honey

2 large pieces of ginger

10 drops of vitality orange oil

3 drops of Thieves vitality oil

3 dops of Nutmeg vitality oil

3 drops of Frankincense vitality oil

Cheesecloth

First up, bring the elderberries and sliced ginger to a boil, then let simmer for 45 minutes to an hour until the water is significantly reduced.
Strain with cheesecloth into large pitcher.
Add in honey.
Let cool and add essential oils (optional).
Store in air tight containers in the fridge until served.  
Elderberry syrup will last 2-3 months in the fridge.  Our children typically get 1-2 teaspoons in the morning unless they are starting to come down with something or we know sickness is starting to go around – then we will double that. Curt and I take 1 tablespoon each morning and the same goes if we feel ourselves getting sick.  

I have a video tutorial saved in my highlights you can find here!  I hope you find this helpful and if you make our recipe, please tag me on Instagram @ourgatheredcottage!