Ninja Dust

Intent: To enable a person to make a quick unseen exit or go unnoticed; formulated to work in crowded places.

Ingredients:

1 pt White Oak
1 pt Bloodroot
1 pt Black Salt
1 pt Red Poppy
1 pt Mustard
½ pt Rosemary
½ pt Sage
½ pt Clove
½ pt Willow Bark
Optional:

Pinch of Galangal Root
Pinch of Heather Blossom
Pinch of Devil’s Shoestring
Pinch of Black Cohosh
This powder was prepared for a friend of mine the night before she attended a large-scale protest march. It’s meant to help you stay safe in a crowded situations and affect a quick exit when and if you have to.

Sprinkle a pinch or two on your shoes before you go out, or carry a small vial or packet with you. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to leave quickly, toss down the powder and step on it as you leave.

Of course, this should always go along with whatever practical safety measures are deemed prudent for your situation. If you find yourself in a position where you are in immediate physical danger, forget the powder, just get to safety however you can. Be careful out there!

‘Bay Rum’


You will need the following items for this spell:

Essential oil of Jamaica bayberry
Essential oil of petitgrain
Essential oil of allspice
Essential oil of cardamom
Essential oil of cloves
Fine Dark Rum
Distilled Water
Dilute the essential oils in fine dark rum and distilled water. Although scent-free alcohol is usually recommended, bay rum is the exception to the rule. Rum, a liquor used in many spells, enhances bay rum’s magical properties. Its scent is considered integral to the formula: select the most fragrant rum as possible.

Jamaica bayberry is the predominant ingredient. Its presence and fragrance should dominate the blend. If you have access to Jamaica bayberries, dried botanicals may be substituted for essential oils. Substitute orange zest for petitgrain.

Body Powder

Rev up your power with this Hoodoo Powder.
For tough jobs, strength and to build up courage.

* Commanding Powder

1 Tsp. Dried Orange Peel
2 Tablespoon Dried Marigold (Calendula) Petals
1 Tsp. Dried Van Van (Vetiver)
1 Tsp. Dried Lemon Verbena
1/8 Tsp. Frankincense Essential Oil
1/8 Tsp. Myrrh Essential Oil
1/8 Tsp. Neroli Essential Oil
5 Tablespoon Arrowroot or sub with (cornstarch)
2 Tablespoon Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon Ground Queen
Elizabeth (Orris Root)

Pulverize the Orange peel in a clean coffee grinder or with a mortar pestle . Add the Marigold Petals and grind until fine. Add the Van Van & Lemon Verbena and continue to refine. Pour into a bowl.
Add the oils to the powder & mix with arrowroot, baking soda, and Queen Elizabeth root and blend well.
Using a funne, pour the mixture Into a bottle with shaker top or a wide mouthed jar.
To use, apply to body with a duster or sea sponge.

* A little goes a long way.

Yields about 4 ounces
Shelf life is about 6 months

Use when you need strength or to build courage and for a boost In your spells that are particularly tough.

Rejuvenation Tonic

Ingredients

St. John’s Wort Leaves And Blossoms
90 Proof Alcohol

Gather the fresh shoots of St. John’s Wort between the summer solstice and St. John’s Day (June 21 and June 24) at sunrise. Remove the blossoms and leaves and place them in a dark glass container that can be sealed tightly.

Cover with 90 proof alcohol.

Steep for one moon cycle (28 days) in a dark place.

Shake every third day.

After one moon, strain the contents through a gauze cloth and fill dark dropper bottles.

Close lid tightly.

Take 10 to 20 drops daily.

St. John’s Wort herb flows through the whole body, making it receptive to cosmic energies. After taking the tonic, do not expose yourself to intense sunlight.

Take soul-refreshing tonic for fear, emotional pain, melancholy, depression and for calming nerves.

Colds Tea Potion

This is a nice little potion to help you out when you have a cold. Now all the ingredients should be dried and ingestible. There are a couple of these actually, but this is the one I tried.

Colds Tea Potion

2 tsp. black tea
1/8 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. yarrow
1 tsp. mint
Boil water and place ingredients in a tea strainer/diffuser. Place strainer/diffuser in a cup and pour boiling water in the cup. Let steep 3-5 minutes and ENJOY! Feel better soon 

Purifying Lemon Bay Salt

Combing the purifying powers of salt, uplifting cleansing lemon and protective purifying bay leaves in this simple way to cleanse and remove unwanted energy. great for dorm rooms or areas where cleansing with smoke isn’t allowed.

Materials Needed:

Very small bowl or cup
Sea Salt
3 Bay Leaves
Lemon Juice
Gather and collect materials.
Fill your chosen container with salt, then add a few drops of lemon juice (i like to personally add 9). Once this done mix together in a clockwise motion.
Add the 3 bay leaves. stick them into the salt and leave half of them showing. (so that are sticking up like little spikes)
Place in an area where it wont be disturbed, change as needed.
(Optional) sometimes when i am trying to obtain i certain affect i add other herbs to the salt and lemon mixture. such as lavender, mint, rose or rosemary

Purification Weight Loss tea

Ingredients

1 handful of hibiscus blossoms
1 handful of fennel seeds
½ handful of peppermint leaves
3 tablespoons of rosemary
3 tablespoons of lady’s mantle (dewcup)
4 tablespoons of yarrow
4 tablespoons meliot
1 tablespoon of lemon balm
2 tablespoons of birch leaves
2 tablespoons of nettle leaves
2 tablespoons horsetail
2 tablespoons sandalwood
1 tablespoon hops
1 tablespoon of dandelions leaves and blossoms
1 tablespoon of wormwood (absinthe)
1 teaspoon of chamomile
1 tablespoon of linden blossoms
1 tablespoon of mulberry leaves
Mix and use one tablespoon for each cup of tea.

Pour the dry tea into earthenware of enamel pot, add boiling water.

Quickly bring to boil, then remove from heat.

Let steep, covered, for 5 minutes. Strain.

Sip the tea lukewarm; take 2 to 4 cups daily.

Sweeten with honey or brown sugar if you wish.

This tea will detoxify the system without causing hunger sensations.

Apple Pie Biscuits


Ingredients
1 can of buttermilk biscuits
1 can apple pie filling
1/2 c butter melted
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tbs cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Icing: 1/2 c confection sugar. 1 tbs milk
Lightly grease pan or skillet. In a bowl mix brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg. Dip each biscuit in butter and cover all sides with the sugar mix. Arrange in pan.
Chop the apple pie filling into smaller pieces. Mix in vanilla extract. Arrange over the biscuits, sprinkle remaining sugar over top and remaining butter. Bake for 35 min at 375 degrees.
Make icing and drizzle over top. Serve warm

BANANA BREAD BROWNIES 


Ingredients:
1-1/2 c. sugar
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 eggs
1-3/4 (3 or 4) ripe bananas, mashed
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)
Brown Butter Frosting:
1/2 c. butter
4 c. powdered sugar
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. milk
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375F. Grease and flour 15×10-inch jelly roll pan. For the bars, in a large bowl, beat together sugar, sour cream, butter, and eggs until creamy. Blend in bananas and vanilla extract. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and blend for 1 minute. Stir in walnuts.
2. Spread batter evenly into pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
3. Meanwhile, for frosting, heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until boiling. Let the butter turn a delicate brown and remove from heat immediately.
4. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk. Whisk together until smooth (it should be thicker than a glaze but thinner than frosting). Using a spatula, spread the brown butter frosting over the warm bars (the frosting will be easier to spread while the bars are still warm).

Blackberry Cobbler


2 1/2 C Fresh blackberries, washed
1 C Sugar
1 C Flour
2 t Baking powder
1/2 t Salt
1 C Milk
1 Stick of butter, melted
Stir together just the berries and sugar in a large bowl and let it sit out for 25-30 minutes. This will bring out the juices of the blackberries so that they can be sweetened up by the sugar.
After about 20 minutes, you should turn on the oven to about 375º and start preparing your batter.
Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and milk with a wooden spoon. Next, stir in the melted butter and hand-mix it until the ingredients are well mixed and you have few clumps.
Pick out a clean baking dish, a smaller one will do. Pour in the batter and smooth it out. Don’t grease the pan (there is enough butter in there already!). Finally, pour the blackberries on top with all the sugar included and evenly distribute it over the batter.
Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how golden you prefer it to be. Let it set up for a good 15 minutes so it will hold its shape. It will be quite hot, so be careful!
Serve warm or room temperature with warmed cream, fresh whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream. You can store this at room temperature with foil over it for 2-3 days, probably longer in the fridge.

Yule Log

6 egg whites, room temperature (appx 1 hr)

3/4 cup sugar

6 egg yolks

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 dash salt

confectioners’ sugar

Filling:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 teaspoons instant coffee

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grease the bottom of a 15x10x1″ jelly roll pan; line w/ waxed paper; grease slightly. Preheat oven to 375. In a lg electric mixer bowl, at high speed, beat egg whites until soft peaks form when beaters are slowly lifted. Add 1/4 c sugar, 2 T at a time, beating until stiff peaks form when beaters are slowly lifted.

With the same beaters, beat yolks at high speed, adding remaining 1/2 c sugar, 2 T at a time; beat until mixture is very thick, appx 4 minutes. At low speed, beat in cocoa, vanilla, salt, just until smooth. With wire whisk or rubber spatula, gently fold cocoa mixture into egg whites just until blended (no egg whites should show).

Spread evenly in pan. Bake 15 minutes, just until surface springs back when gently pressed with fingertip. Sift confectioner’s sugar in a 15×10″ rectangle on a clean linen towel. Turn cake out on sugar; lift off pan; peel paper off cake. Roll up cake jelly-roll-fashion, starting with the short end towel and all. Cool completely on rack, seam side down.

FILLING: Combine ingredients in medium bowl. Beat with electric mixer until thick; chill.

TO ASSEMBLE: Unroll cake; spread with filling to 1″ from edge; reroll. Place, seam side down, on plate. Cover loosely with foil. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

TO SERVE: Sprinkle yule log w/ confectioner’s sugar and decorate with red candied cherries and green angelica “leaves”. If you can’t find angelica, use cut up green candied cherries.

NOTE:You may make the Yule Log up to a week ahead and freeze, wrapped in foil. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

Cinnamon Spell Ornaments

Will you be decorating a tree this year for your Yule celebrations? There are all kinds of things you can hang on it! Try making a batch of cinnamon spell ornaments as a fun and magical holiday project.

For starters, let’s be clear about one thing – these ornaments may be made with cinnamon, but they are NOT edible, so make sure you hang them out of reach of hungry pets or roaming bands of feral toddlers.

Let’s talk a little bit about cinnamon. It smells good, sure, and it tastes delicious… but what else is it good for? Cinnamon has been used in a variety of ways for thousands of years. The Romans burned it in funeral ceremonies, believing that the aroma was sacred and pleasing to the gods. Because it was hard to come by, during the Middle Ages, wealthy Europeans made sure to serve cinnamon at feasts so their guests would know that no expense had been spared. Now, fortunately for us, you can buy powdered cinnamon in bulk just about anywhere.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 Cup cinnamon

¾ Cup applesauce

1 Tbs. nutmeg

1 Tbs. ground cloves

1 Tbs. allspice

2 Tbs. plain white glue

This recipe makes about a dozen ornaments, depending on the size of your cutouts.

Mix all of your ingredients in a bowl. You can start out stirring them with a fork or spoon, but as the mixture gets thick and dough-like, just give in and use your hands to mush it all together. Squash it around until you can form a nice big sticky ball of dough – if it seems like it may be too dry, you can always add a little more applesauce, or a teaspoon of water.

As you’re blending the dough together with your hands, think about your intent. What is the purpose of the ornaments you’re about to craft? Are they for protection? To bring well-being and health? For financial prosperity and abundance? Think about the goal, and send those intentions through your hands into the dough as you mix it.

Sprinkle a clean surface – if you have a baker’s mat for rolling, use it – with cinnamon, and roll out the dough until it’s about ¼” thick, and use your favorite magical cookie cutters to cut out the dough. You can choose random holiday shapes, or drag out those old gingerbread man cookie cutters to make little people for your ornaments. Cut out house shapes for ornaments that focus on security and family stability. Use hearts for love, and so forth.

Make a hole in the top of each ornament – use a toothpick or skewer –so you can hang it up after it’s been baked.

Now, here’s where you get to make some additional magic. Remember how you focused your intent into the dough as you blended it? We’re also going to add magical symbols to it. On each ornament, use a toothpick or small paring knife to inscribe a symbol of your intent. You can use any kind of symbol at all that’s meaningful to you, but here are a few ideas to get you started:

Financial prosperity: dollar signs

Protection: an ankh, a horseshoe, a gate

Security and stability: pentacles, earth symbols

Passion and love: hearts, fire symbols

Wisdom and intuition: moons, yin-yangs

Once you’ve inscribed your ornaments with symbols, place them on a baking sheet in the oven. Leave them in there on a low temperature, around 200, for several hours – the goal is not to bake them so much as just dry them out completely. Once they’re dry, let them cool all the way down.

Finally, thin a little bit of white glue with some water, and brush a light layer over the top surface of each ornament, to give it a nice glaze. Once the glaze has dried completely, thread a string or ribbon through the hole, and hang it on your holiday tree – or give it as a gift to someone you care about!

Tip: Another option, rather than inscribing the ornaments with a symbol, is to use icing piped into place. Use your favorite decorative piping tip to create sigils on your ornament AFTER you’ve dried and cooled them. Once your icing has dried completely, apply the coating of thinned glue for a glaze.

Salt dough

Salt dough is one of the easiest things in the world to make, and you can create just about anything from it. Use it with cookie cutters to make your own Sabbat ornaments.

You’ll need:

4 Cups flour

1 Cup salt

1 ½ Cups hot water

1 tsp vegetable oil

Combine the salt and flour, then add the water until the dough becomes elastic. Add the oil at this time and knead the dough (if it’s too sticky, add more flour). Once it’s a good consistency, make your decorations with cookie cutters. Bake ornaments at 200* until hard (about 20 – 30 minutes). Once they’ve cooled, paint them with designs and symbols, and seal with clear varnish.

If you’re planning to hang them, poke a hole through the ornament BEFORE baking them. Then, after you’ve varnished them, run a ribbon or thread through the hole.

Essential Healing Salve Recipe

When it comes to healing salves, there are a couple kinds that prove their need most often. Though everyone has different preferences and different recipes for those salves, these are ours.

Sore Muscle Salve
3 Parts Cloves
2 Parts Arnica
4 Parts Cayenne Pepper
1 Part Basil

Bug Bite Salve
3 Parts Calendula
1 Part Plantain
2 parts Cloves

Topical Menstrual Cramp Salve (To be applied to the abdomen)
1 Part Rose
2 Parts Clary Sage

Cut & Scrape Salve
1 Part Comfrey
2 Parts Calendula
2 Parts Plantain

Need help getting started? See our Simple Salve recipe here.

Recreational Witchcraft: Simple Salve Recipe

Beeswax salves are a great recipe to have in your repertoire because depending on the herbs included they can be used for many purposes. Healing balms can be made for cuts, scrapes, bites, and for topically treating pain like menstrual cramps or sore muscles. Moisturizing salves can be used on the lips, cuticles or to combat any dry winter skin. As for magical applications, the list is a long one. Protection salves, flying ointments, and glamour salves are just some of the more common ways beeswax salves have been used as a simple method of transferring the power and magic of specific herbs to the body. The possibilities are quite endless.

You will need:
A mason jar
1 cup of Olive oil
1 ounce of Beeswax
Assorted herbs

Choose your herbs. Remember to choose your herbs with care. Herbs have specific medicinal and magical properties and some can cause allergic reactions. Use your better judgment.
Combine your chosen herbs and one cup of olive oil into a mason jar. Your herbs will steep in this mixture for one month so their properties can be better absorbed into the oil.
After your herbs have steeped for a month, Melt down your beeswax into a liquid form, taking care not to burn it. You can do this on the stove but know that wax can be a hassle to clean from pots and pans (For this reason we have a specific pot for melting wax).

Combine your infused olive oil and melted beeswax. You may strain out the herbs from the mixture to get a cleaner look like the salve above but the step is optional. Stir the wax and oil to together well, and pour the liquid into a tin or other other container. Let the salve cool and harden. Your salve is ready to use!

Elderberry Syrup Recipe

This homemade elderberry syrup can be taken at the first sign of a cough, cold, or flu. It’s also great as a daily immunity booster.

For cold and flu.

Adults, use 1 tablespoon every 2-3 hours.

For children under six, use 1 teaspoon every 2-3 hours.

For immunity.

Take 1 teaspoon daily.

Ingredients.
4 cups of water.
A 1⁄4 cup of dried elderberries.
2 Tablespoons of dried elderflowers.
2 Tablespoons of dried plantain leaf.
A 1⁄2 cup of natural honey.

Instructions.

1. Place water, plantain, elder flowers and elderberries in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down and let simmer for fifteen minutes.

2. Place in the oven or cover and let steep for an additional two hours. Strain the infused water from the herbs and put your infusion back into the pan.

3. Turn the stove on low and let it simmer uncovered, reducing by half.

4. Remove the pan from heat and allow it to cool for a bit. Add the honey while it is still warm so that it dissolves nicely.

Tips for storage.

Store your syrup in a labeled glass jar in the refrigerator. It keeps for about 5 months.

Note, the honey acts as a natural preservative.

The Best of Elderberries

The elderberry recipes here are what will make the bounty of your foraging a real prize. A recipe is what brings surprise to all you’ve gathered. There is much to learn from bringing your abundance into further form such as food or medicine. Here is a little secret for you. After gathering your elderberries, be sure to freeze them before removing the berries from the stems. When frozen, the berries pop right off the stems. Also, by taking out only the amount of elderberries needed for each recipe, you’ll be able to stretch out your berries for several months as you begin to try out the recipes.

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Easy Elderberry Jam

Ingredients
Makes: 4 jars

  • 1 kg ripe elderberries
  • 500g sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 strip lemon peel

Directions
Preparation:15min › Cook:20min › Ready in:35min

  1. Wash and stem the elderberries. Place them in a saucepan with a very small amount of water, cinnamon stick and lemon peel. Boil until berries burst, about 10 minutes.
  2. Strain the mixture to get rid of seeds and return the liquid to the saucepan. Add the sugar and bring to the boil, stirring. Boil until the jam thickens.
  3. Pour into sterilised jars and place the lids on tightly.

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Elder Flower Fritters

Elder flower fritters are truly a gift from the heavens. Gather some of the clusters of the elderberry flowers. Snip off the greenish branches connected to the flowers but keep them in a bunch ready for making fritters.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • Several bunches of creamy white elder flowers

Directions:

Mix all batter ingredients together except the elder flowers until you’ve got a smooth and even batter. Dip flowers in batter and lightly fry in a skillet until golden brown. You could also try sprinkling the elder flowers directly into the batter for a lacy treat. I’ve cooked them both ways and they are both equally satisfying. Enjoy with elderberry syrup.

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Elderberry Syrup

Of all the elderberry recipes, this one might just be the most well-known classic. Used for so many different purposes, this is one of those recipes that helped elderberry make a comeback from forgotten times and helped it find its niche in health food stores.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup elderberries, stems removed
  • 3 cups water
  • Raw honey to taste

Directions:

Combining this syrup with raw honey makes a delectably dark and earthy syrup as well as a healing tonic. Elderberry syrup is good taken by the teaspoon as a medicine by itself or in warm water for chest colds, coughs, congestion, sinus discomforts and the flu every 2 – 3 hours. You can also enjoy it with pancakes, yogurt, granola or an addition with other meals.

Place elderberries in water in a large pot with berries covered with water at least two inches. Bring to a boil then immediately reduce heat to a simmer. Continue to simmer until water is reduced to half its amount. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour into a blender and blend on low briefly. If you don’t have a blender then mash berries in the pot or blend with a hand blender. Strain into mason jars and let cool. Add raw honey to create the taste you prefer. Screw on the lid and stir or shake until honey has dissolved. Syrup lasts in the refrigerator for several months.

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Elderberry Pie

Talk about easy elderberry recipes, this pie is so very simple to make. You can go for straight elderberries or add in some apples for a great taste as well. Either way you’ll come out with a rich and flavorful pie. Since most elderberries ripen towards the end of the summer, the dark colors of the elderberries contrasts with the fading colors of summertime.

For every cup of elderberries add in one tablespoon of melted butter and a teaspoon of arrowroot or cornstarch along with a hearty sprinkling of flour to serve as a thickener and to absorb the juice of the berries. Mix all this together in a bowl. If you want to add in apples then slice them up and fill your pie crust 1/2 to 3/4 full. Sprinkle with elderberries all over the apples.

Next in another bowl mix 1/2 – 1 cup of sugar with 2 – 3 tablespoons of flour and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Then sprinkle this on top. Now slice up and place a few tablespoons of butter on top of the pie. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes bake at 350 for 30 – 45 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

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Elderberry Compote

You might just feel like an alchemist when you make this compote. Of all the elderberry recipes here, this one is a two day process. The reason for this is that you are giving the elderberries the time and space to cure and more completely preserve their flavors overnight.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lbs elderberries
  • 1 – 2 strips of lemon zest (2 inches long)
  • 1/8 – 1/4 split vanilla bean
  • 1 – 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice

Directions:

In a glass bowl mix elderberries, lemon zest and vanilla bean. Cover with sugar and then with a piece of plastic wrap or a lid to set overnight. The next day take your mixture and pour it into a pot. Add lemon juice and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to low. If and when you continue to see bubbles coming up remove from heat entirely. Pour into small glass bowls or jars for eating fresh or you are also welcome to can the jars for later savoring. If you choose to can your compote, fill jars leaving 1/2 inch space at the top. Clean the rims before covering with lids. Place jars in a hot water bath making sure jars are covered with water at least 1 inch. Boil jars for 15 minutes. Compote can store up to a year in a cool dark place.

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Elderberry Vinegar

Elderberry recipes like this vinegar add an extraordinary pizzazz. Including a splash of something sharp like vinegar enhances the flavors of many a meal and can be added to things like barbecue sauce and salads.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups elderberries
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 cups white wine vinegar, with 6% acidity

Directions:

Mix the elderberries and sugar in a pan over medium heat. Mash the elderberries and stir to help disperse the sugar into the berries. Bring to a boil, immediately remove from heat and let cool. Once completely cooled, mix berries with vinegar and cover with plastic wrap or a lid and let sit for 3 – 5 days in a cool, dark place. Strain through a sieve or strainer thoroughly. Store in a clean glass bottle. This vinegar can be stored and used for up to two years.

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Elderberry Shrub

Elderberry shrub is a timeworn term for a tart fruit-based drink. The strong flavor of elderberries offers an energizing drink with sparkling water.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups elderberries
  • 1/2 – 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup red-wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • Sparkling carbonated water

Directions:

Pour the elderberries, sugar and water in a pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Once the sugar is dissolved immediately turn down heat and simmer 10 – 15 minutes. Stir in vinegar and bring to another boil. Turn down heat and simmer again for 15 – 20 minutes. Cool completely. Strain through a sieve or strainer. Pour liquid into a measuring cup, pressing on berries to pull out all the juice. Pour into clean glass bottle, jar or glass for drinking.

You can now either add sparkling carbonated water and enjoy fresh, or you can store in the refrigerator for up to one year and add sparkling carbonated water whenever you want to drink it. This is one of those elderberry recipes where the amount of sparkling carbonated water you mix with the volume of elderberry shrub is entirely up to your preference.

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Elderberry Fool

This recipe was originally a custard type dish (comprising of milk, eggs and sugar) and dates back to medieval times. Modern recipes have customarily replaced the custard for cream or pre-made whipping cream.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups heavy cream (raw cream is recommended)
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons sugar (to taste)
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup elderberry syrup or compote
  • Grated zest of 1 – 2 lemons

Directions:

Combine cream, sugar and salt and whip until cream holds firm peaks. Gently fold in 1/2 cup of elderberry syrup/compote, creating a marbled effect in the cream all the while being careful to not lose the firmness of cream. Divide among 6 – 8 bowls or glasses and top with lemon zest. If you don’t want swirls in your fool you can go with plain elderberries mixed in the cream instead of syrup or compote. Either way it’s a teasingly delicious dessert.

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Elderberry Elixir

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups elderberries
  • 3 cups brandy or vodka
  • 1 cup honey

Directions:

Fill a quart jar half full with elderberries. Pour enough alcohol to fill the jar ¾ full and then top with honey. Stir the honey in with the berries until fully mixed. Top off with more honey until the jar is full and stir again. Seal the jar and label. Let sit for 3 weeks and shake daily. After 3 weeks strain berries from the elixir. Take 1 -3 teaspoons daily to help keep the flu at bay.

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Elderberry Wine

When the weather turns colder, and you find yourself in front of the fire, it’s the perfect time to enjoy a glass of elderberry wine.

Patience is required. Like red wine grapes they are high in tannin and so the wine needs time to mature.

Ingredients

  • 2½ lb elderberries
  • Campden tablets
  • 2½, 2¾ or 3 lb sugar (use the lowest amount of sugar for a dry wine, next for a medium dry wine and the higher sugar for a medium sweet)
  • Wine yeast
  • Yeast nutrient
  • Water
  • Gloves – particularly when handling the berries as they can die your skin purple!

Method

  1. Strip the elderberries from the stalks and wash well
  2. Put into a fermenting bin and crush, either using gloved hands or a potato masher
  3. Pour on 4 pints of water
  4. Add 1 Campden tablet, crushed and dissolved in a little warm water to kill off any wild yeasts
  5. Boil half of the sugar in 2 pints of water for 2 or 3 minutes and, when cool, mix into the pulp
  6. Add the yeast (6g) and nutrient and cover and allow to ferment for 5 days, stirring daily
  7. Strain and press and return the liquor to a clean fermenting bin
  8. Boil the rest of the sugar in 1 pint of water for 2 or 3 minutes and, when cool, add to the liquor
  9. Cover again and leave for 3 or 4 days
  10. Pour carefully or syphon into a gallon jar. Try and leave as much of the sediment behind as possible
  11. Fill up the jar with cooled, boiled water to where the neck begins
  12. Fit a fermentation lock and leave until fermentation has finished
  13. Rack your wine (which means to move your wine into a fresh container) adding a Campden tablet after the first fermentation
  14. Syphon into bottles
  15. Enjoy

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Elderberry Sorbet

Serves: 4

Dietary: Vegan, Gluten Free

Ingredients

  • 500ml elderberry syrup
  • 110ml apple juice

Method

  1. Mix together the elderberry syrup and apple juice.
  2. Pour into an ice cream maker and churn until thick.
  3. Freeze the sorbet for at least 1 hour until set.

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Elderberry Liqueur

  • 800ml of elderberries
    750ml bottle of vodka
    50g sugar
    The rind of half a lemon

Put elderberries into large jar and pour all but the last 20ml of vodka over them, drink the last 20ml of vodka and keep the bottle. Add the lemon rind (with as little pith as humanly possible). Seal then shake the jar and put into a dark cupboard for three months.

Pour sugar into the vodka bottle and strain the liquor over the top of it – you may wish to “upgrade” to a 750ml swing topped bottle for aesthetic reasons. Shake vigorously and return to the cupboard for at least two months, shaking every time you remember it is there (once a week for the first week, then less). After this time it is perfectly drinkable but, if you can manage to restrain yourself, it will improve with age as long as it is left sealed.

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  • Use the berries as you would black currants or blackberries. You can combine them with apples in charlottes, pies, and crumbles. They add both luscious flavour and gorgeous colour.
  • Fold elderberries into a bread dough. For a sweet treat, either add to a sweet dough or mix the berries with sugar before adding.
  • Swirl your elderberry syrup into ice cream or make a stunning elderberry sorbet
  • Substitute the syrup for expensive and over-rated cassis. It can also replace Angostura bitters in gin or vodka.
  • Add a dash of syrup to champagne for a forager’s kir. A bit of syrup also takes cider to the next level.
  • Brew up some of Andy Hamilton’s elderberry liqueur! It’s easy to make…but not easy to wait five months!
  • Go with tradition and try your syrup by the spoonful for cold or flu relief, or add to hot water for a comforting night-time drink. Foodie friend Carol commented on the blog that adding cloves and/or ginger to the syrup is great for winter coughs and colds!