Elderberry syrup

About 1 hour, plus cooling · About 3 cups from 4 cups berries

1. Use only ripe cooked-safe American elderberries. Strip them from the stems — stems are not food. 4 cups berries, 4 cups water.
2. Simmer 30–40 minutes until the berries collapse. Mash. Strain through cloth. Compost the seeds and skins.
3. Measure the juice. Add half as much honey by volume (2 cups juice → 1 cup honey) off the boil, stir until dissolved. For a thicker cough syrup, equal parts honey.
4. Optional: a thumb of chopped ginger, a stick of spicebush twigs, or a cinnamon stick in the simmer — strain them out.
5. Bottle in scalded jars. Fridge if you have one. Cellar-cool and use in 2–3 months, or freeze, or add a splash of brandy (¼ cup per pint) to keep it longer.

Dose

Adult: 1 Tbsp at the first sign, 2–3 times a day for a few days. Child over 1 year: 1 tsp. Not for infants (honey).

Store

Cold if you can. Watch for fizz or a blown lid — that is fermentation, not poison, but start over if it smells wrong.

Honey is not for babies under one year. This is comfort and an old winter habit, not an antiviral prescription.