Scrummy Superboost Saffron & Dried Elderberry Syrup

I make elderberry syrup most years, until now always from fresh berries using the stove top. Last year however I discovered the local water board had seen fit to cut all the Elderberry, BlackBerry and Hawthorn to the ground. Where once there had stood a magnificent stretch of Hedgerow buzzing with life, now just stumps remain.

For those familiar with the benefits of Elderberry syrup, I missed having it in my cupboard. Finally however I managed to find some dried, British organic Elderberries - Bingo!

We're now in possession of an Instant Pot (IP) so it seemed a no brainer, but Google wasn't particularly helpful. Times varied from 7-9 mins QPR to half an hour NPR and there was lots of talk of then needing to simmer the syrup anyway for long periods of time to make a syrup rather than just a juice - making the whole process longer than just cooking on the hob.

During a long period of stove top cooking, the water is significantly reduced (remember if you see steam, you're losing water); in the IP however much smaller volumes of water are lost, resulting in a watery syrup.

Since a 6 litre IP only needs 1 cup of water - I wondered why add loads only to take it away again? I decided to play around with recipes, times and ingredients to get a yummy taste and I concluded there are two options depending on how much time/effort you want to expend and how thick/glossy/shop like you want the final product to be and I've added recipes for both here.

Yield: 600 mlAuthor: Analytical ArmadilloPin it

Scrummy Superboost Saffron & Dried Elderberry Syrup

Two methods of cooking Elderberry Syrup using dried berries in the Instant Pot. Method one results in a thinner syrup and the second a thick, shop style product.

Ingredients:

• 100 g Dried Elderberry
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 1/4 tsp Dried Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Dried Ginger
• 3 Drops Orange Oil
• 5 Peppercorns
• 3 Cloves
• 2 Cups of Water for Method 1 OR 2 1/2 Cups of Water for Method 2
• Juice of 1/2 Lemon
• Juice of 1/2 Lemon

Reserve For Later

• 340 ml Jar Manuka Honey
• .Additional 1/2 Cup of Honey for Method Two. This will be heated so doesn't need to be raw.
• 20 Strands Saffron (Optional)  Alternatively substitute 1/2-1 tsp of Turmeric with the other spices

instructions

Both Methods:

1. Add all the ingredients from the first list, add lid and if possible leave for 15-30 mins
2. Set instant pot to Manual 10 minute high pressure
3. Whilst this is doing its magic, use either a pestle or mortar or your fingers to finely crumble the saffron into a small pot
4. Natural pressure release, waiting until timer says 20 mins (pin will have dropped) then remove lid
5. Remove Cinnamon stick and discard
6. Strain the pot through a fine mesh strainer atop a nutbag or similar over a glass or stainless steel jug. You can put them straight into a nutbag but it will take a while to strain compared to using a sieve first
7. Use a fork to squash all the berries to extract the juice, scraping the strainer and repeat until just dry matter remains

Method One

1. Add and stir in the saffron
2. Once the temperature drops to 35 C (95 F), slowly pour in the honey, stirring continuously
3. Refrigerate to thicken.  If your syrup was significantly cooler when you added the honey, it will typically need stirring a couple of times to ensure it's fully incorporated

Method Two

1. Add 1 tbsp of the Eldberry juice to the pot of Saffron and set aside for later
2. Add the liquid back to the instant pot along with the 1/2 cup of honey
3. Press saute and adjust to high, stir regularly. Once it comes to the boil, change to "low" for 10 minutes, stirring as needed
4. Change the setting back to high, bring back to the boil and adjust to "medium", stirring constantly for 3/4 minutes
5. You should now have around 1.5 cups of liquid.  If you have less top up with boiled water and if substantially more go ahead and put it back in the pot as above to reduce further
6. Add the saffron powder
7. Once the temperature drops to 35 C (95 F), slowly pour in the honey, stirring continuously
8. Refrigerate to thicken

notes

According to the Franklin Institute of Wellness, using this berry to honey ratio results in the following guidance for taking: "The average dose used in studies to treat viral infections is 15ml of a syrup with 38% elderberry, 4x a day for adults and the same amount at a 19% concentration for children. For active infections, 15mls can be taken every 2-4 hours for up to 2-4 days. Please remember this page is not giving medical advice and home remedies aren't a replacement for appropriate medical care. Please always consult your doctor.

Analytical Armadillo 2018