Basically what you are doing is making something like Sambucol without any of the extra ingredients. Elderberry is an anti-viral and a lot of folks use it for colds and flu. Putting it in Vodka preserves it so you can store it for a long time on the shelf. The alcohol is very good at extracting all the goodies from the berries. Elderberry extract like you are making really will work on the flu. I've been using and making it for 2 yrs now. I just made 2 quarts last week. Another lady who has been doing tinctures a lot longer than me told me you can heat it a little bit but don't boil it or you might alter the ingredient that helps you. You can sugar it and when you need a dose you can put it in tea or warm water. One tsp. 3x a day. I hope this helps. (I'm sorry, I meant for this to be on the Elderberry thread) Maybe the Mods can move it for me?? Sorry!!
I've found it seems better tinctured in brandy rather than vodka, less harsh on the throat and after I drain off the liquid, I put it in a stainless steel pot and add sugar to taste and SIMMER for about 10 minutes. Really nice to take a teaspoon straight.
Great instructions, both Funny and goatlady! Had I been experienced at winemaking, etc., I think my batch could have turned out wonderfully tasty. I'm guessing there must be regional varieties, as what I've made has a really smoky taste to it which --- had I known what I was doing --- could have been utilized to make this stuff a real taste treat. One thing I found was the longer I let the berries steep in the vodka, the mellower the taste became. Because winter's approaching, however, I just didn't want to wait any longer to finish it off. I didn't boil precisely because I was concerned about killing off the good stuff. But i did simmer, and simmer a long time. It did a good job of mellowing it even further, as well as condensing it to a very thick, dense syrup. But I also added quite a bit of cinnamon --- cinnamon is really good for people with blood sugar problems (me!) and it seemed a logical taste to add to the brew. I'm really looking forward to trying this again next year, hopefully with elderberries I plant right in front here!
HI Goatlady, Are you the same Goatlady I'm discussing Elderberries with on another forum this week? If so it was your link I followed to Herbalcom where I ordered my Elderberries!! If it wasn't you then I probably sound like a nut and you can just ignore me!! :haha: Kathy
