Elderberry Days

We've been spending a lot of time with the elderberry bushes in our garden

After gathering and separating a few quarts of berries, we got down to work/play!

First, we made Elderberry syrup, intending to boost immune systems coming into the school year and winter sickies season. It's so good, we've given it as gifts, served it over vanilla ice cream, made soda with seltzer water (as well as a couple of REALLY yummy coctails. Elderberry peach gin fizz and Prosecco with elderberry syrup and fresh mint) 

To make the syrup, we brought 2 cups of berries to a boil in 2 cups of water. After boiling point was reached, we turned off the heat and mashed the berries. We let them steep for a couple of hours, then strained them through a fine mesh strainer. I would have liked to use cheesecloth, but was out.  Then we mixed in 2 cups of raw, local honey. Poured off into mason jars, and voila! I understand it keeps in the fridge for one to two months (though I guarantee it won't last that long! In fact, I just ordered more raw honey from our farmer to make another batch before the catbirds and mockingbirds clean out the bushes!)

I got direction for the syrup from the elderberry  issue of herbal roots zine, which is included in our herb fairies subscription. The magazine is loaded with info, games, stories, recipes and crafts to get to know each herb, as well as journal and coloring pages and resources for further exploration.  The herb fairies stories are a big hit with my girl, and she's learned a lot, listening to them during our after lunch quiet time.

Then we made elderberry ink (mashed, strained berries, salt, and vinegar)

Nature journaling, more cooking (grain free peach elderberry crisp, YUM!), elderberry flute crafting and dyeing yarn and a play silk rounded out our week with elderberry. 

She strained off our fermented elderberry dye. We filled the jar with berries, covered with water, and let sit in the sun for 3 days. After straining, we added some alum mordant and a skein of wool yarn, along with a playsilk.

We were very happy with the results, though we put the yarn back in the jar for 24 hours to deepen the color

cutting a length of elder branch for a flute

hollowing out the branch with a drill bit. The flute ended up cracking after a lot of work, but we will eventually try again

Elderberry syrup on vanilla ice cream with fresh peaches, borage, and nasturtium flowers. Perfection in a bowl.
Can't wait for elderberry season next year!