Elderberry Syrup Recipe

Elderberry Syrup Recipe

 

Deep purple elderberry beauty

Deep purple elder-beauty

Updated 12/13/2023

I’ve been a smidgen obsessed with elderberry this year and it has heard my prayer. Not only did my husband gift me a beautiful elderberry bush for our yard, but a neighbor with a gorgeous mature bush gave us the green light to enjoy some of his bounty. So, I’ve been up to my elbows in elderberry.

Give yourself time to rinse and remove stems

Give yourself time to rinse & remove stems

Elderberry is a folk medicine immune supporter, and even today you can find it in commercial cough syrup and lozenges. Clinical trials suggest that it reduces the duration of the flu, and it may have antiviral, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. From a plant-spirit energetic perspective, elder aids with journey work (such as shamanic visioning) and is, simply, an elder filled with primordial wisdom.

Most elderberry syrup recipes call for about 2/3 cup of berries for a season’s supply of syrup. Well, because I had a bucketful, mine is a little stronger! It’s delicious and rich. In the literature there are warnings about elderberry irritating the gut if taken raw and/or in excess, so you can overdo it! I intend to take 1 tsp daily for 3-5 days at the first sign of cold or flu.

Give yourself a couple of hours to make this start to finish. This recipe made about 6 cups of syrup.

Elderberry Syrup Recipe

Equipment

In addition to a large pot for cooking and processing, you will need a strainer or jelly bag, and containers for your syrup – I used jelly jars and processed them as if I were making jelly to give nicely sealed jars for gifts, and also kept a batch in a larger unsealed jar in the fridge to be used over the next 3 months by my family and me.
Jelly jars come with glass jars, a flat sealing lid, and a ring that twists over the sealing lid to keep it on the jar.

Ingredients

  • 8 cups elderberry, washed and stems removed
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground
  • 1 cup honey
  • 1-2 tsp pectin

Directions

Full bedlam making elderberry syrup

Full bedlam-making elderberry syrup

  • Place berries, spices, ginger and honey in a large pot and bring to a rolling boil.
  • Stirring, add pectin and boil for another minute.
  • Lower heat to medium and simmer for 15-17 minutes.
  • Strain through jelly bag, and place into jars.

As I mentioned I used jelly jars and processed them like jelly, which entails boiling the jars (pouring hot liquid into a cold jar can make it crack) and sealing the lids. After filling the jars with syrup and topping with sealing lids, I tightened the lid rings and placed the jars upside down for about 5 minutes. This helped them seal. Once that’s done, I check to see if the jar sealed by pressing the center of the lid. If I can push the lid down and it pops up, no seal. If the lid is concave and pressing it doesn’t move it, it’s sealed. Often, lids will seal throughout the day – I can hear “pop” from the next room when a lid seals. Jars that don’t seal need to be refrigerated, and the syrup used within 3 months. I keep those that seal all season.

Making your own jelly and syrup can be a sticky mess, but I am always amazed by the wonderful smell, color, and flavor of homemade preserves. It’s a fun thing to do with family or friends who are into it. Little jars of your handcrafted goods make terrific gifts. Make sure not to give away unsealed items or you may be gifting a nice jar of something not-so-healing.
Elderberry Syrup

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Herbal Culinary Book Review

Herbal Culinary Book Review

Herbal Culinary Book Review by Annie B Kay - anniebkay.com
Do you have a friend who cooks like an angel, is both well educated and down to earth, and has just written her first fantastic book? Me too! Full disclosure, this author is a friend and colleagues. I would not, however, steer you wrong, and Brittany Wood Nickerson is a fresh voice with a truly beautifully handy offering.
Recipes from the Herbalist's KitchenRecipes from The Herbalists’s Kitchen: Delicious Nourishing Food for Lifelong Health and Well-Being is gorgeous, and, as the best cookbooks are, is an extension of the author. When I read Brittany’s thoughts on food as medicine and the home herbal kitchen, it’s as if I’m there in her garden, being lovingly served delicious morsels in the sun. I kid you not, she’s that good.
Ms. Wood Nickerson takes you into modern day herbalism. She dries flower and herbs, makes vinegars and pickles and makes it all seem as natural as – well, as I imagine it was to great-grandmother. Brittany has her own herbal online training and offers an apprenticeship in home herbalism that has many happy alums. Check it out!
The hardcover, 303-page book bursts with 4-color photos of scrumptious snacks, entrees, drinks and desserts designed to meet the body’s needs for comfort, nourishment, energy and seasonal support. Specific herbs are introduced along with their medicinal use, and readers are shown how herbalists make tinctures, vinegars, herbal honeys and other herbal folk medicines that happen to be delicious and effective.
The culinary perspective is ancestral, so includes meat and other animal foods, baked goods, and natural sweeteners as well as bountiful fruits and vegetables and, of course, herbs.
Ready to be inspired by a fresh approach to traditional herbal cooking and healing? Recipes from The Herbalist’s Kitchen introduces you to a truly endearing expert, chef and healer, and a collection of inspiring seasonal fare.
Herbal Culinary Book Review by Annie B Kay - anniebkay.com

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Do You Eat a Whole-Food Plant-Based Diet? Following the Consensus of What to Eat

Do You Eat a Whole-Food Plant-Based Diet? Following the Consensus of What to Eat

Do You Eat a Whole-Food Plant-Based Diet- Following the Consensus of What to Eat by Annie B Kay - anniebkay.com
So, you’ve heard that the Mediterranean diet is healthy. You have a friend who lost big-time weight following Paleo. Or maybe South Beach Diet, or Eat Right for Your Type, or Ayurveda have peaked your interest.
All of these diets, if followed in their healthiest version, have whole food plant-based eating at their core. All of these diets kick processed foods to the curb. All of these diets are built around plants. All of these diets, at their best, speak to food quality.
So, just what is a whole food, plant-based diet?
Let’s begin with the plant piece. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) do a good job of defining a plant-based diet. Remember 5-a-day? That was a program that was around for decades, promoting fruits and veggies, and suggesting we eat 5 servings daily. The website used to be www.5ada.gov. Well, the website is now www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org. That’s because the CDC has boosted its recommendation to 9-13 servings for most adults. What’s a serving? About a half-cup, or a tennis-ball sized serving (for salad greens, a serving is one cup).
If that recommendation gives you gas just thinking about it, well, breathe and send relaxing love into your nervous belly!
All you need to do, and the only question that really matters for you, is where are you now (how many servings do you take) and how can you increase that by one or two servings? The CDC’s long-winded website has lots of good and simple ideas.
Envisioning that pile of tennis balls made up of fruits and veggies eaten through the day will give you the picture of what a plant-based diet looks like.
OK. How about whole food?
Whole food has minimal processing from the earth to your plate. Generally, the more someone does for you between those two points, the more refined a food is. And generally, the more refined a food, the more calorically dense, nutrient devoid, low fiber, and of poor nutrition quality it is.
The food industry is beginning to change, and I am seeing an increase in packaged foods that are more healthful. But packaged foods remain confusing, and overall, process foods remain less than whole counterparts. For me, it’s a matter of trust – big food, while it is changing, still puts profits first, nutrition second – I don’t think that has changed. So I tend to be wary.
How do you identify processed food? Boxes. Wrappers. Plastic. Labels. You’ll find whole foods in the produce section, the meat and fish sections, and the dairy section of your grocery store. With so much of our food handled for us, getting to 100% whole is probably not necessary. Remember, the goal is to minimize unhealthful chemicals and retain the natural nutrition of your food to support your health.
Be well.
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Do You Eat a Whole-Food Plant-Based Diet- Following the Consensus of What to Eat by Annie B Kay - anniebkay.com

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Bold, Spicy, Indian Cuisine Book Review

Bold, Spicy, Indian Cuisine Book Review

Bold, Spicy, Indian Cuisine Book Review by Annie B Kay - anniebkay.com
I’ve worked at Kripalu (the largest yoga center in the country) for seven years, so I have enjoyed my share of Indian food. I love the flavors of India – spicy curries, sweet-piquant chutneys, yogurt and lots of creative plant-based proteins. Indian cuisine in its original form is naturally healthful – filled with plants (often vegetarian) and aromatic spices.
I also love the work of the American Diabetes Association (bias alert – they published Yoga & Diabetes, which I co-authored). They have put together a collection of beautiful cookbooks that reflect a fresh range of ways of cooking and eating for health. If you have not yet looked at their growing collection – check them out! You don’t have to have a diabetes diagnosis to enjoy them – they are simply accessible healthful fare for everyone.
Indian Cuisine Diabetes Cookbook by May Abraham FridelMay Abraham Fridel’s Indian Cuisine Diabetes Cookbook has an authenticity and accessibility that are the hallmarks of a great cookbook. It practically smells like cumin – must be the beautiful red-brown of the two-color interior and beautiful four-color photos of select dishes. If you love the smells and tastes of India food and want to bring a bit of that into your own kitchen, this is a book for you.
The book begins with an overview of the philosophy behind India cooking, including the ancient nature-based wisdom of Ayurveda, a sister science of yoga.
There is a Spice Guide, a Pantry List, and some How-To Recipes to introduce you to the staples of healthful Indian Cuisine.
This is the book I will consult the next time I make Dal (spiced lentils). There are three easy tasty recipes and tons of advice to guide me. There’s a healthy version of my favorite Indian dish, Palak Paneer (cheese in spinach sauce) – this one uses tofu instead of cheese and skips the heavy cream that often turns that healthy sounding dish into something that while filled with nutrients is also calorie-dense. There is a chapter on street food and one on elegant dishes, a chapter on curries, a chapter on grilling, a chapter on Indian flatbreads, one pot meals, sides including slaws and salads, and drinks (I love me some lassi – India’s yogurt smoothie).
Ms. Friedel is a food literacy advocate, philanthropist and the founder and CEO of an organic spice company (www.passionforspices.com). She clearly knows of what she speaks when it comes to the flavors and spices of India.
I’m grateful for her offering, happy to add it to my cookbook shelf and look forward to continuing to sample and to learn about Indian cuisine.
Bold, Spicy, Indian Cuisine Book Review by Annie B Kay - anniebkay.com

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Getting Started with Healthy Eating

Getting Started with Healthy Eating

Getting Started with Healthy Eating by Annie B Kay - anniebkay.com
Confused about what’s healthy and what’s not? You are not alone!
It’s a challenge to follow a healthy lifestyle in our anything-but-healthy culture. But for most of us, it’s worth the effort to be the most vibrant, healthy version of ourselves that we can.
No matter who you are – how old, how physically or financially limited – you can improve your life by making healthier food choices, moving more, and connecting with others. As a nutritionist for nearly 30 years, I’ve seen people transform their lives through modest lifestyle changes practiced over time.
Here are a few ideas for laying the groundwork for healthy eating.

  • Don’t believe the hype. The idea of a pill, potion or diet that will magically excuse you from the reality of how our human bodies work can feel irresistible. But like low-payment mortgages and other investment schemes we’ve learned so much about in the past few years, if it seems to good to be true, it probably is. The FDA recently warned that some diet aids can actually do serious physical damage.

The only way for the average person to stay healthy over the long haul is to eat a healthy diet that honors their needs (and for most, features plants) and to be adequately physically active. Within that guideline are limitless paths to get there. The pill or diet might help with a jump-start, but eventually, we all live within the laws of our human physiology.

  • Take a positive, additive approach. Weight loss or getting healthy is best experienced as an exercise in getting to know yourself and how your body works. One key is to find some joy – some fun, in learning how to care for yourself well. In my decades of counseling people on lifestyle, I find it’s best to start by adding good things – like physical activity, and servings of fruits and vegetables. That way, the foods and activities that don’t serve you (like French fries, donuts and Law & Order marathons) tend to fall by the wayside with less sacrificial pain. There is a way to enjoy what you eat and follow a healthy diet.

Here’s an exercise: on a piece of paper, make a list of things that fuel your life force. List things large (vacation on the beach!) and small (get myself flowers!), expensive and free (call an old friend!) – everything from getting outside, taking a great bath, being active, reading – whatever fuels your passion, or is fun, or feels good. Here’s a tip: people who take excellent care of themselves give themselves things that fuel their life force. And taking excellent care of yourself makes a healthy lifestyle easier and more fun to stick with.

  • Know where your journey begins. There is a slew of good (and free) web-based assessment tools to help you figure out what and how much you’re eating right now. That’s really the first step in finding out where you want to go. Step on the scale, find your BMI and see where you are on the sliding scale from underweight to obese. For most of these assessment numbers, see them then set them aside, and focus on the habits. It’s easy to get fixated on “I knew I struggled with weight but now I see I’m obese – I’m no good and it’s hopeless.” When those kinds of thoughts pop up, see if you can turn it around to a positive, like “I knew things were getting out of hand, and now I know the situation and can do something about it – I can do this.” So long as you are focused on positive change and positive habits your life is likely to get better. Everyone has difficulty with something in their life. It’s how you work it in your mind that makes the difference between success and spinning your wheels.
  • Remember that with diet, “relapse” always happens. One of my wise teaching friends at Kripalu says “progress not perfection,” and with diet, there will always be a wedding or dinner with friends or just a day when you haven’t eaten well. Often, people feel like they’ve failed when they’re not perfect, and slide into the land of “it’s too hard” and “I can’t do this” and “it doesn’t really matter,” and they give up. It can be months before they try it again. If only they knew that it’s natural not to be perfect! If you ‘fall off the wagon’, dust yourself off, have a glass of water, forgive yourself and get back to practice as soon as you can – the same day, the next morning, but soon. Think about what made healthy eating too difficult – that can be an experiment for next time. That’s how real change happens.

Here’s to your practice of fun and good health.

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What next?
Want to stay connected and join others on this path to wholeness?
The best way to do that is to sign up for my monthly newsletter to get tips and resources to support you.
You can also check out opportunities to study with me.
Getting Started with Healthy Eating by Annie B Kay - anniebkay.com

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Fantastic Homemade Fries

Fantastic Homemade Fries

Publishing your recipe shouldn’t take more effort than creating your delectable masterpiece. Cookbook plugin makes sharing recipes as easy as sharing your award-winning pie. Cookbook gives you the option of using a rating system to make your recipes more interactive and simultaneously helping to make your recipes fully enhanced with search engines.

Your readers can take your recipes anywhere they want to go. Printing is simple and visual views are desktop and mobile friendly.