12 Aug Elderberry cordial for a tasty immunity boost

Elderberries everywhere

The drought has not been kind to my food forest, yet the elders are thriving and heaving with elderberries. Only the fruit trees and shrubs seem fine, everything else has dried up and wilted away, even though Y promised that he was watering every evening in our absence. The South Downs look like South Africa. As I’m a glass-half-full kind of person, I look for the silver linings. I quickly decided that I would make elderberry cordial.

Elderberry syrup or cordial

The cordial is based on the elderberry syrup recipe in my fourth cookbook, Slavic Kitchen Alchemy. This is a syrup that I sometimes make at the end of summer, which is great for boosting the immune system (see research below), so the kids don’t get a cold as soon as they start school. I decided to make more of it and reduce the sugar content slightly, in order to make the syrup into a cordial to dilute with water, as we do here in the UK. It’s worth mentioning that in many other European countries (such as Greece and Poland) cordial is called syrup. It’s basically the same thing. Only in Poland you are more likely to our it over kasza manna (semolina porridge) than drink it diluted.

Elder research

The European Black Elder (Sambucus nigra) is found everywhere in Europe and we have three in our garden. Even in London, we inadvertently had one, as it strangled the other plant we put in the ground (you have to admire the persistence). I don’t mind as there is peer-reviewed research to show that contains antiviral, antibacterial and antidiabetic properties, antitumour potential, antioxidant, antidepressant and immune boosting properties, among other things! A Polish wise woman once told me that we need to look for plants that are in our immediate surroundings, those are the ones the “God chose especially for us”. Meaning that those are the ones that will help us with our particular health issues.

A recipe for Elderberry cordial

We use this cordial as a drink, diluted about 1/10 with filtered water. What I love about it is that it gives you an immunity boost without you even noticing. However, you can also drink a teaspoon or two when you feel yourself coming down with a cold.