Homemade Elderberry and Honey Gummies, made with elderberry flowers and berries simmered into a honey tea, made into healthy gummies.
Elderberries
Elderberries have long been a health remedy to relieve colds, fight the flu and boost the immune system.
Elderberry cough syrup has also been a long time remedy to soothe, if not reduce a cough due to colds or allergies.
Elderberries are known for many beneficial properties, especially those that help with illness because of their antioxidant, antiviral and other immune boost components.
If you are not sick, though, you might be interested in the elderberry properties for your skin, because of the rather high element of vitamin A.
All good reasons to not buy a ready made product but rather make it yourself.
That way you control the concentration of the extraction and instead of corn syrup sweeteners, you can use honey or agave.
Homemade Gummies For Health Remedies
Herbalist have been way ahead of the game of preventative health remedies.
Having an understanding of the beneficial properties found in nature sure sounds like a smart way to manage our health.
I have always had a curiosity for natural remedies, whether for health or for beauty aids.
I used to make many of my own concoctions as a teenage for my crazy curly hair and to ward off acne during teenage years.
Fast forward to 2007, when I moved to Brazil for a period of time, I knew I just had to explore plant medicine knowledge from the interior areas of Brazil.
I learned much, and knew I could use what I learned once back in the states.
Elderberry and Honey For Health
I wanted to use only raw honey, it must be raw honey and not that wet stuff that pours like syrup.
Raw honey is nature’s gift to our body, because it’s loaded with antibacterial and antifungal properties.
Having grown up with a Middle Eastern mom, I learned to use honey in nearly all of our cooking where sugar might otherwise be used.
A simple, yet almost healthy Honey and Lemon cake is often in my home during the winter months, as a healthy sweet treat.
Of course, I can’t leave out the way I learned to make Baklava (baklawa), using only honey to drizzle across the nut pastry, and not simple syrup, which is just sugar water.
Healthful Honey
It’s plant chemicals act as antioxidants. Raw honey alone will soothe the throat and aid in coughing.
These are all things we will need to comfort us when we become ladened with this virus or any unwell time.
Since most OTC (over the counter), gummies are ladened with sugar and dyes, I wanted my homemade health elderberry gummies to remain healthy.
Adding honey, for sweetness, and letting the natural color shine through, assured me that these gummies are 100% natural and healthy!
Gummies For Grownups Too!
It was said to me, by my daughter in law, that the boys (I thought she meant just my grandsons), wouldn’t take vitamins or medicine in their house, unless it was in the form of a gummy.
How was I to know that she included ‘her hubby’, my son, in that rat pack of boys she was referring to! LOL.
So, I set out to do what any good mommy/grandma does; find a solution.
With the help of a pinch of gelatin or agar agar (a plant gelatin powder), I was able to make a huge batch of gummies at the onset of school season, ie cold and flu season.
Then, I realized I could also make medicinal gummies for them to suck on by using the recipe here for a homemade elderberry gummies.
Wouldn’t you know it, while I simply used a sheet pan to set the gummies and then cut them into cubes; my grandsons (or maybe it was my son, wink), for Christmas, gave me cute little molds to shape more gummies in the future.
Dang kids never really grow up! LOL.
Why Make Elderberry Gummies Yourself?
The most logical reason to make homemade elderberry gummies yourself, is because you know exactly what is going into them.
Homemade gummies control the level of sweetness, using honey instead of sugar and while the color isn’t pretty, at least it has no dye.
If you really need to sell your family on the gummies by their appearance, you can use fun mold shapes and toss a beetroot in the tea for a pretty color.
Another reason, of course, is the cost! It costs roughly $4.35 for 140 homemade gummies.
I used roughly 4-ounces of berries and flowers to make one batch, and take a look at the price at your local store for the gummies!
Other Homemade Health Hacks
With just a few natural ingredients, often plant ingredients, we can make many of the things we buy, at home and make them actually healthy!
- Citrus Health Hacks for Immune Support – are for all seasons and for all immune support reasons using both the juice and oil rich skins of all citrus.
- Red Clover Tea for Hormone Health – to help balance female hormones for sleeping better and to feel better, is a health tip I want to share with you.
- Immune Boost Onion Soup – is slow simmered in natural medicinal properties from onion, turmeric, ginger, fresh herbs and mushrooms.
Ingredients Needed
- Dried Elderberries – loose dried elderberries keep in the fridge.
- Dried Elderberry flowers – these keep for a long time in the fridge, since they are dried flowers.
- Water
- Raw honey
- Agar agar – I prefer agar agar over animal gelatin powder because it sets firmer.
Equipment Needed
- Sauce pan
- Slotted spoon
- Strainer
- Cookie sheet or gummy molds – these are easy to use and mold quickly.
- Knife (if shaping on a cookie sheet)
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Airtight container
- Stovetop or burner
Homemade Elderberry and Honey Gummies
Equipment
- sheet pan or ice molds
- Saucepan
- Strainer
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Dried Elderberries
- 1/4 cup Dried Elderberry flowers
- 4 cups Water
- 1/4 cup Raw Honey
- 2.5 tbsp Agar agar
Instructions
- Place the elderberries and flowers in a medium size pot with water. Bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and let simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the stove and add the honey. Allow the tea to cool.
- Strain the berries and flowers out, and add the agar agar. Pour immediately into a sheet pan or individual gummy molds. Place in the fridge to set, about 30 minutes.
- Cut into bite size cube if a sheet pan is used, and transfer to an airtight jar in the fridge. If molds are used, pop the gummies out and store in an airtight jar in the fridge.
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.