Elderberry Tincture

• Produce

  • 1 Elderberries

• Beer, Wine & Liquor

  • 1 Vodka

• Tools & Equipment

  • 1 glass Pint or quart jar

• Other

  • Bowl
  • dark colored bottles
  • funnels (optional
  • lid
  • mesh strainer, tea towel, or old clean t-shirt
  • brown paper bag

Found on traditionalcookingschool.com

Description

Ingredients

• elderberries (dehydrated or fresh)
• glass pint or quart jar
• lid
• vodka (80 proof at minimum)
• mesh strainer, tea towel, or old clean t-shirt
• bowl
• funnels (optional)
• dark colored bottles
• brown paper bag

Directions

• Fill pint or quart jar half full with elderberries.
• Next, fill with vodka, leaving 1 inch of head space.
• Cap jar and give it a good shake to the chorus of ‘Jump in the Line’ by Harry Belafonte or ‘Shake it Up’ by The Cars. 😉
• Label jar for contents and date, place in a brown paper bag, and set in a dark cool area for 4 to 6 weeks.
• Once infusion time is up, strain through a fine mesh strainer, tea towel, or old clean t-shirt.
• Then discard the berries. Some folks eat the Sambucus nigra elderberries raw as these are not toxic when fully ripened. I personally chose not to do this, and I discard them. If you’ve researched it and feel safe eating them, rinse your berries after tincture making and add to oatmeal or granola.
• Now you have a tincture! Pour into clean, sterile, dark colored bottles. No dark bottles? Don’t fret, use a clean, sterile pint jar. Just place the jar back into a paper bag to shield the tincture from light.
• When your immune system is compromised or you’re coming down with the flu or a cold, take 1 teaspoon of elderberry tincture 3 times a day.
• Since tinctures can be rough to take straight, dilute in 8 ounces of water for easy drinking.
• Giving tincture to children? Place 1 teaspoon of tincture in hot water (think hot like for herbal tea). This will evaporate the alcohol. Once cool, give to the child to drink.