Every year I can jars and jars of herbal berry syrups from wild-harvested fruits. This most recent one was made from wild-harvested Oregon grape berries. When it was cooking I decided to add a bag of blueberries I had thawing on the counter. Then Audrey wanted to add raspberries. Then I remembered a big bag of frozen elderberries harvested from last year. Often I’ll also add various mild or tasty medicinal roots and spices to the berry juice while it simmers. For this one I added a pinch of licorice, some dried ginger, and some hibiscus flowers.
These syrups are absolutely delicious and an amazing way to get immune boosting medicine into your little ones (and you!).
The technique, as I describe it, is open to a million different variations depending on what grows around you and what herbs and spices you have on hand. Have fun with it.
Ingredients
4 cups (or more!) medicinal, wild-harvested berries such as Oregon grape berries, elderberries, wild blackberries, etc…
local honey
medicinal herbs of choice such as american licorice root, cinnamon, astragalus, ginger, etc…
The Steps
- Take your berries and wash them well, de-stem, and place them in a large saucepan. If you’re working with very juicy berries, don’t bother adding any water, but if you have a drier berry, like Oregon grape berries, then add a cup or two of water to the pot as well. If you’re adding herbs then place them in the pot as well.
- Bring to a simmer and cook covered over medium heat until the berries release most of their juice, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- At this point, I use a food mill to separate the juice and pulp from the seeds. If you don’t have a food mill you can strain the syrup in batches using a jelly bag or square piece of muslin. But a food mill is much easier. Then I strain it again through a jelly bag to remove most of the pulp and any seeds or bits of herb that might have escaped the food mill.
- Measure your juice. For every cup of juice measure out 1/2 cup of honey. Wash your pot and pour the strained juice back into it. Bring it to a simmer and add the honey, stirring until dissolved. Bring it all to a boil then remove from heat.
- Pour the syrup into sterilized jars. Cap with sterilized lids and process in a hot water bath for long-term storage. Or alternately, store in the fridge for 3-6 months. If you want to store this syrup longer without canning, then use a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio of honey to juice.
What to do with all that syrup?
We love herbal syrups as a sweetener for homemade lemonade or as a base for fermented ginger beer. On pancakes. In ice cream or sorbet. In place of honey and a bit of the liquid in muffin or quick bread recipes. Thinned with water to make popsicles. Added to hot water for a delicious immune boosting tea.
And of course these syrups are medicinal and can be taken by the spoonful as medicine. This recent one I made cools and builds the blood, strengthens the blood vessel walls, helps the body remove excess heat and toxins especially when sick, boosts the immune system and gently tonifies the kidneys and liver while calming the heart. Used as a tonic over time it can also reduce the occurrence of seasonal allergies and other inflammatory processes in the body.
linking up with Kelly the Kitchen Cop {Real Food Wednesdays}
Thank you!