Sunday strolls and elderberry syrup

Sunday morning we woke up, and it was one of those beautiful Autumn mornings. Crisp, cool and sunny. We had a quick breakfast and decided to take an early morning stroll, along to the park and to collect some elderberries. I like to make up a batch of elderberry syrup around about now, to see us through the winter months. Elderberries are known to have immune-boosting compounds, and are a great flu-preventative. A little taken every day can help stave off those winter bugs, and if you do succumb to one, a slightly bigger dose for a few days will help you beat it faster.

We had a lovely hour or so in the park, Vega loves being outdoors, and had great fun playing on the swings and roudabout! We collected a basket full of elderberries {far more than I needed for syrup, so we have a batch of elderberry gin brewing too!} as well as some pretty autumnal leaves and a handful of pinecones.

Elderberry syrup is easy to make, and far more cost effective than buying it ready-made.

Y O U ‘ L L N E E D:
1 cup elderberries
1 cup honey {I use an organic one}
3 cups water
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp grated ginger root

T O M A K E:
Put the elderberries, water, ginger and cinnamon in a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for around 45 mins, until the water has reduced by around half. Strain the liquid off into a glass jug, discarding the elderberries and ginger pieces. Stir in the honey and pour the syrup into sterilised jam jars.Screw the lids tight so they seal, and your syrup should keep all winter long. Once opened, store the jar in the fridge.

The usual dose is ½ tsp to 1 tsp for kiddos and ½ Tbsp to 1 Tbsp for adults. If tyou do get the a cold/the flu, take the normal dose every 2-3 hours instead of once a day until you feel better!

I made a little video of our morning, if you feel like taking a peep!