Handle and store fresh elderberries the same as fresh raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries.
Refrigerate and use berries within a few days after harvest for best quality. For longer storage, freeze or dry the berries.
Freezing elderberries is easy. Put fresh berries in a heavy-duty plastic bag or freezer-safe container. Press excess air out of the bag, seal, and pop in the freezer.
For best flavor and aroma, use frozen berries within about 1 year after harvest.
Store dried elderberries in an air-tight container away from light and heat. For best flavor and aroma, use the berries within 2 years after harvest.
Reconstitute dried berries before adding them to muffins, quick breads, pancakes, and similar recipes where fresh berries are normally used.
To reconstitute, soak the berries in an equal volume of warm water for about 30 minutes or until the berries are tender and plump. Include any extra soaking liquid as part of the liquid needed for the recipe or discard it.
Substitute elderberries in any recipe calling for blueberries or raspberries.
Use your favorite apple pie recipe. Gently mix about 1 cup (6 oz) fresh or frozen elderberries into the sliced apples for each pie. If using dried berries, reconstitute about 1/2 cup of dried berries and then use them the same as fresh or frozen berries.
To avoid turning muffin or cake batter totally purple, gently fold fresh or frozen berries into the batter right before baking.
Use frozen elderberries in pies, cakes or muffins without thawing. The frozen berries may add a few minutes to the baking time.
Substitute 1 cup of dried elderberries for every 2 cups of fresh or frozen elderberries.
3 ounces by weight of dried elderberries measures about 1 cup. This is the equivalent of about 2 cups (12 ounces by weight) of fresh berries.
6 ounces by weight of fresh or frozen elderberries is about 1 cup.
1 pound (16 ounces by weight) of frozen or fresh elderberries is about 2 1/2 cups.
1 pound (16 ounces by weight) of frozen or fresh berries will produce about 1 cup of pressed juice or about 2 cups of steam-distilled juice.
Our recipe for elderberry syrup calls for simmering the berries and liquid for a brief time followed by a gentle steep off the heat, all in a covered pan. (5) This gentle infusion method creates a deep purple syrup that smells and tastes of fresh elderberries. Here’s the recipe:
Quantity: Makes 3-4 cups syrup.
Ingredients:
2 cups dried elderberries (6 oz, 170 g) OR 4 cups fresh or frozen berries (24 oz, 680 g)
4 cups water (32 oz, 908 g)
1 1/2 cups honey (18 oz, 510 g) OR 2 cups sugar (14 oz, 400 g) Adjust sweetener to taste if necessary (3)
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice OR 1/2 teaspoon citric acid powder (4)
Optional: Add one or more of these spices —
Method:
Sanitize one 32-ounce (1 quart) canning jar or 2 or 3 smaller jars with a total of 32 ounces of capacity by washing the jars in the dishwasher on a normal or sanitizing cleaning cycle. An alternative method to sanitize the jars is to submerge them for about 1 minute in a pot of water at a full rolling boil. Leave the jars in the dishwasher or hot water until you are ready to fill them.
In a 3 quart stainless steel or enameled pot, bring the berries, water, and optional spices to a gentle simmer. Cover the pan and gently simmer for about 30 minutes. Turn off heat and let the mixture continue to steep with the cover on for another hour.
Line a sieve with cheesecloth, pour the syrup and berries into the sieve. Squeeze the cloth and berries to extract as much of the juice as possible. Discard the berries.
Stir in the sugar or honey and the lemon juice or citric acid.
Pour the syrup into sanitized jars, seal securely, and refrigerate or freeze. The syrup, if made as written and kept refrigerated in unopened, sanitized jars, will likely keep for up to 4 weeks, possibly longer. After a jar is opened, keep refrigerated and use the syrup within 1 or 2 weeks. I do not recommend canning this syrup — the recipe has not been tested for safety.
There is no specific dosage for elderberry syrup as a health tonic. I suggest 1-2 teaspoons per day for healthy adults and children. This dosage can be doubled or tripled when a person is sick with a cold or the flu.
This syrup can also be enjoyed on pancakes, oatmeal, or ice cream or add it to hot or cold tea or lemonade.
Notes:
(1) Rosemary Gladstar. Medicinal Herbs: A beginner’s guide. Storey Publishing. 2012.
(2) Tieraona Low Dog. How to Make Elderberry Syrup for Immune Health. Downloaded 13 Feb 2020 from https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/elderberry-syrup-recipe
(3) You can use less or no sweetener or use a non-sugar sweetener such as Splenda. A reduced- or no-sugar syrup is more perishable than a syrup that is sweetened and acidified per this recipe. A low/no sugar syrup should be consumed within 1 week. Freeze for longer storage.
(4) Lemon juice or citric acid powder adds flavor and, if used in the recommended amounts or more, will help increase the shelf life. Find citric acid in the canning section at your local grocery or hardware store. Do not use ascorbic acid (sometimes sold as “Fruit Fresh”) in place of citric acid or lemon juice.
(5) The ratio in this recipe of 1 part dried berries to 2 parts water by volume is recommended by herbalists Rosemary Gladstar (1) and Tieraona Low Dog (2). Many recipes use only 1 part berries in 4 parts water, but they typically also call for cooking the syrup long enough to reduce the syrup volume by half. This long cook time affects the taste and aroma.
Fresh elderflowers are extremely perishable and should be used soon after harvest.
Elderflowers can be held for a day or two in the refrigerator, but the aroma disappears fast. During refrigeration, store the flower in a container with a loose, breathable covering that allows excessive moisture to escape.
For longer storage, elderflower should be dried. Elderflowers do not freeze well.
To dry, remove fresh flowers from their stems, spread the flowers in thin layers on dehydrator screens, and dry at 95 F / 32 C for 12-14 hours. The flowers are sufficiently dry when the blossoms feel dry and slightly crisp if gently rolled and pressed between the fingers.
Store dried elderflower in an air-tight container away from light and heat. For best flavor and aroma, use elderflower within about 1 year after harvest.
The chemical compounds that create elderflower’s delicately sweet floral aroma will fade in storage, but other beneficial chemicals may stay fairly stable for up to 2 years. (1)
Elderflowers are fully edible. Fresh flowers can be folded into a light batter and fried into a sweet, fragrant fritter. A few fresh blossoms can be sparingly scattered over a frosted cake or on top of iced or hot tea or other drink.
The flowers, whether dry or fresh, can be steeped by themselves to make a caffeine-free golden yellow tea or included in herbal tea blends. Dried flowers will quickly reconstitute in hot tea and look almost as pretty as fresh.
The classic use of elderflowers is for making elderflower cordial — a simple syrup of water and sugar infused with fresh elder flowers and lemon. The flowers leave their distinctive aroma and golden yellow pollen in the syrup.
This pale yellow cordial can be used in alcoholic mixed drinks, hot or iced tea, and cake frosting. It can be diluted with sparkling water to make a refreshing spritzer.
1 ounce by weight of dried elderflower measures a generous 1 cup.
1 ounce by weight of dried elderflower is equivalent to about 5 cups of fresh, de-stemmed flowers that have been gently packed.
Notes:
(1) Kaack, K & Christensen, L.P. (2010). Phenolic Acids and Flavonoids in Tea Processed from Flowers of Black Elder (Sambucus nigra L.) Stored in Different Packing Materials. European Journal of Horticultural Science. 75. 214-220.
This versatile simple syrup adds a delicate floral flavor to drinks and foods. Here’s the recipe:
Quantity: Makes about 4 cups (1 quart / 1 liter)
Ingredients:
5 to 6 cups of fresh elderflowers (about 5 oz / 140 g), removed from their stems and gently packed OR 1 heaping cup dried elderflower (about 1 oz / 30 g) (1)
2 cups water (16 oz / 450 g)
2 cups sugar (14 oz / 400 g) OR 1 3/4 cups honey (21 oz / 600 g)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon citric acid powder or more to taste (2)
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice or more to taste (3)
Optional: Zest from 1/2 to 1 lemon
Method:
In a 3 quart stainless steel or enameled pan, bring the water to a full boil. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
Remove the pan from heat, and stir in the citric acid, lemon juice, and optional lemon zest. Syrup will foam up.
Cover the pan and let the syrup cool until the pan is pleasantly warm to the touch — less than 100 degrees F. Do not mix elderflowers with hot syrup because the heat will alter their flavor.
Put the flowers in a 1 1/2 or 2 quart (1 1/2 to 2 liter) container with a wide mouth and a tight-fitting lid (a 2-quart canning jar works well). Slowly pour the syrup over the flowers. Stir often to eliminate air bubbles and thoroughly mix the syrup with the flowers.
Cap the container, store in the refrigerator, and let the flowers infuse for 2-3 days. Gently mix the flowers and syrup once or twice a day.
When the infusion is done, sanitize one 32-ounce (1 quart, 1 liter) canning jar or 2 or 3 smaller jars with a total of 32 ounces of capacity by washing the jars in the dishwasher on a normal or sanitizing cleaning cycle. An alternative method to sanitize the jars is to submerge them for about 1 minute in a pot of water at a full rolling boil. Leave the jars in the dishwasher or hot water until you are ready to fill them.
Pour the syrup and flowers through a wire-mesh strainer. Press the flowers to get as much syrup as possible. Discard the flowers.
Pour the syrup into the sanitized jars, seal securely, and refrigerate or freeze.
If made with the citric acid and lemon juice as called for in the recipe and kept refrigerated in unopened, sanitized jars, the syrup will likely keep for up to 4 weeks. After a jar is opened, keep refrigerated and use the syrup within 1 or 2 weeks. I do not recommend canning this syrup — the recipe has not been tested for safety.
The cordial will be cloudy yellow from the pollen in the flowers. Before use, shake or stir the cordial to mix the pollen back into the liquid.
If you want a perfectly clear cordial, allow the pollen to settle and then slowly pour the clear liquid off the top. Without the pollen, the floral aroma and taste will not be quite as strong.
Use elderflower cordial in place of regular simple syrup when making mixed drinks. Mix it with club soda and ice for an elder flower spritzer. Use it to sweeten hot or iced tea or as a flavoring in frostings or icings for cakes.
Notes:
(1) This cordial is best made from freshly picked flowers. If using dried flowers, use flowers with a pleasant floral aroma. Avoid flowers with a dusty or toasted odor.
(2) Find citric acid in the canning section at your local grocery or hardware store. Lemon juice and/or citric acid powder adds flavor and, if used in the recommended amounts or more, these acids will also help increase the shelf life. Do not use ascorbic acid (sometimes sold as “Fruit Fresh”) in place of citric acid or lemon juice.
(3) If you do not have citric acid, double the amount of lemon juice.