Elderberry Syrup: Making the Best Immune Syrup at Home

Elderberry syrup is one of those preparations that sounds like it requires specialist equipment or expertise. It does not. At its most basic, it is simmered elderberries, honey, and warming spices combined into something that tastes extraordinary and is backed by more...

Making a Simple Elderberry and Thyme Oxymel

An oxymel is honey and vinegar together as a vehicle for plant medicine. The word is ancient Greek and the preparation is at least as old as Hippocrates. In the winter context, there is no better combination of herbs for this format than elderberry and thyme: two...

Elderberry Season: Everything You Can Do With a Basket of Berries

The elder trees that covered themselves in white blossom in May are now, in September, hanging heavy with clusters of deep purple-black berries. This is one of the most rewarding moments in the foraging and herbal calendar: an abundant, accessible, well-distributed...

An Elderberry and Warming Spice Syrup for Winter

The classic elderberry syrup recipe (berries, water, honey, and perhaps a cinnamon stick and a few cloves) is already excellent. But the warming spice version, built with intention around the specific medicinal properties of each addition, is something more layered...