The Elderberry Bush

The Elderberry Bush

Elderberry (sambuccus) is an immune stimulant, very helpful to maintain health or to recover from colds or flu. Black elderberry is what is typically used in many different syrups and tinctures which are sold on health food store shelves. We first noticed an elderberry bush in one of the horse fields a couple years ago, and because the horses do not like the taste of it, and the birds love the taste of the ripe berries, we now have elderberry bushes all over the fields. This year we made a simple tincture from the berries and have been using it to stay healthy. 

The Elderberry grows in clusters and stains clothes and skin temporarily a very attractive purple color. Elderberry bushes can grow 10' big or so, and the elderberry clusters and quick and easy to harvest. Putting Elderberries into a dark glass bottle

Once we harvested the berries we put them into a dark glass bottle. The dark glass protects the extract from the sun's rays which can be detrimental to the final outcome. We took the berries off the stem and put them in the bottle, crushing them with a stick. Berries can be pre-crushed if desired, but not strained. We filled the bottle up about 1/3 with crushed berries. Pouring alcohol into the bottle of Elderberries

Next we added organic vodka to the bottle. While the organic vodka is expensive it is better to use for obvious reasons. Any vodka will work, we were looking for the healthiest product, so we went for the healthiest choice which was the organic vodka. Shake well

Then the bottle was shaken vigorously and placed in a dark cool place (basement for us) and shaken 2 times or more a day (or whenever we walked through the basement to exit or enter the house). After 2 weeks elderberry extract is ready, it can be decanted into smaller bottles through a strainer, or left as is. We decanted some into a small bottle with a dropper for easy access, and left the rest as is, to be used as needed. The extract ended up being a beautiful purple color.