ELDERBERRY THE BENIFITS AND USES

  There is so many uses for elderberry! We will be going over a some of the health/ medical benefits, how to use/cook the elderberry and how easy it is to grow.

  Some of the health benefits of elderberry include boosting the immune system, cleansing the body, improving vision, speeding up the metabolism, increasing respiratory health, lowering inflammation, quickens the healing process and stimulating digestion. Elderberry is packed full of antioxidants, along with 87 percent of the daily value in vitamin C, and high amounts of vitamin A, potassium, iron, vitamin B6, fiber, and betacarotene.

   Elderberry's grow in fields and in shade. They can be as small as 3 feet tall, up to 15 feet tall. The compound leaves are opposite branching, with some of leaflets being “twice compound”. The purple-black colored berries are each about an ⅛ inch in diameter, and they form large umbrella-shaped clusters of fruit. The picture above is what the elderberry looks like in bloom. It is quite easy to cultivate and grow your own. Once you have identified the elderberry plant take cuttings from the bush. Softwood cuttings are best for propagating elderberries. Take your cuttings in June, July or August and root them in the soil right away or put the cuttings in a few inches of water to let them root. After about 6 weeks you should be able to transplant and put the plant where you would like it.

   There are many different way to cook with elderberries. You can make jam/jelly, pies, syrup, tea, wine and many other things. My favorite way to cook with elderberries is to make a syrup. There's how we do it. Place one cup of fresh or two cups of dried elderberries, four cups of water and a cinnamon stick in a pot. You can also add clove and ginger if you like. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 45 minutes to one hour. Remove from heat and using a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth, strain out mixture. Transfer liquid to a jar, stir in 1 cup of honey when the liquid has cooled. If you add the honey to early to the liquid it will kill a lot of the beneficial bacteria. Keep in the fridge for up to a month. Enjoy!!

   Thank you for popping in. I would love to hear how you use elderberry in the comment section!!