Summer Cold?

When cold or flu threaten, and even if they’ve caught hold, this folk remedy does the trick.

In our family, if one person catches an upper respiratory or fevered ailment, that person drinks 4 one-ounce doses a day to stave off symptoms and shorten the length of the illness. Everyone else takes it preventatively.

Elderberry Syrup

1 quart

Ingredients

1 quart apple juice or cider
½ cup dried elderberries
1 cinnamon stick
some fresh ginger (or use powder)
4 cloves
some dried cayenne or jalapeño pepper
(¼ cup honey)

Combine everything but the honey in a large saucepan.

Simmer 30 – 45 minutes, remove from stove and cool.

Strain into a quart jar, add honey if you intend to do so, and top with water.

It’s ready to serve. We drink from shot glasses.

Cap and store in refrigerator.