Six Figs Farm LLC

Where does your elderberry come from?

I’ve made elderberry syrup for our family for years. I was using dehydrated berries purchased on Amazon for a very long time. When we started our little farm here, I started looking at where things come from a little more closely. The berries I was using came from Europe. Probably, they are fine, but I’ve always worried about the rules for organic in other countries- even in our own country with factory farmed produce-organic pesticides are still pesticides. I wanted berries from a clean local source. So, we planted elderberry bushes. Lots of them. We committed to growing them without pesticides.

At some point, we’ll be offering elderberry syrup. For right now, though, our third year harvests don’t warrant the hoops we’d have to jump through to make something that is overseen by the FDA as a supplement. So, in the meantime, we’re offering elderberry kits, so you can make your own elderberry syrup using our locally grown, regeneratively grown, pesticide free elderberries. Even if you don’t use our kits, you should make your own syrup. It tastes better, it’s fresher, and you know exactly what goes into it.

Here’s how to make your own elderberry syrup, using our kit, or without. I like small batches of elderberry syrup. It doesn’t last forever, and really, you don’t use it super quick. One trick I have learned is to freeze the juice, before adding the honey, in an ice cube tray. After they’re frozen, pop the juice cubes out into a freezer bag. When you need more syrup, take out an ice cube and let it thaw, warm it just a bit in a saucepan so that the honey will mix in. When you’re sick or feeling like you’re coming down with something, that’s not the time that you want to be boiling down elderberries. It’s not hard, but it’s easier to do when you’re feeling well.

I strain my elderberry juice with cheesecloth. However, I’ve also used unbleached paper towel, or a reusable coffee filter. There are lots of options. I finally found a cotton mesh bag, which is included in each kit and makes it much simpler to strain your syrup.

Sadly, we sold out of our honey before our elderberries were ready this year. However, for this year, please find the honey most local to you to go with our kits. Some folks told me last year, they used Swerve or other no calorie sweeteners to sweeten their syrup. This doesn’t give the benefits of raw honey, but if you need to stay completely away from sweets, you can still have the benefit of the elderberry. One of the biggest reasons to make your own is that it’s yours- you use what makes the most sense for you.

You can read more about how we grow our elderberries here.