Menu
Du Jardin Beauty
  • Home
    • Reviews & Testimonials
    • Spotlight
    • Workshops & Events
  • Shop
    • Best-Sellers
    • Luxury Skin Care
    • Multi-Purpose Utility Soaps
    • Bath & Body
    • eGift Cards
  • GIVING BACK
    • New Hope Midcoast
    • Veggies To Table
    • Locally Sourced
    • Fair-Trade Items
  • LEARN
  • About Us
    • FAQ's & Policies
    • Wholesale
    • Contact
    • Services
  • Home
    • Reviews & Testimonials
    • Spotlight
    • Workshops & Events
  • Shop
    • Best-Sellers
    • Luxury Skin Care
    • Multi-Purpose Utility Soaps
    • Bath & Body
    • eGift Cards
  • GIVING BACK
    • New Hope Midcoast
    • Veggies To Table
    • Locally Sourced
    • Fair-Trade Items
  • LEARN
  • About Us
    • FAQ's & Policies
    • Wholesale
    • Contact
    • Services

Du Jardin Learning Center

Herbal Spotlight: Elderberries with Elderberry Brandy Cordial Recipe

9/20/2021

2 Comments

 
Picture

Delicious & powerful, elderberries are wonderful for colds & flu, & also in times of stress. What better way to enjoy some than in a flavorful Elderberry Brandy Cordial?

​Early Fall, with elderberries in season, is the perfect time to make some.
It's easy & delicious -- I'll show you how!
The common American Elderberry [Sambucus canadensis] & European Elder [Sambucus nigra] are both prolific & commonly found growing wild throughout most of the United States in disturbed areas, along roadsides, & in hedgerows, making them excellent candidates for foraging. Be sure to harvest only from shrubs not treated with pesticides on lesser used roads & to confirm the plant ID. The challenge is not in finding them, but in hitting them at the extract-right time! The season for ripe berries vacillates wildly from early August through to October, with some berries being perfectly ripe on one shrub, yet not ready on another nearby shrub just down the road! And then, you have to beat the birds & other animals to the harvest. We are not the only creatures ‘hunting’ them!  Waiting ‘one more day’ for perfectly ripe umbels may result in you missing out completely! 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Carefully remove green and lighter purple [unripe] berries before using them.
Would-be foragers should make note of the bushes around them & check in on them frequently as the fruit changes quickly day to day. It is important the berries you use are fully ripe, as unripe berries are unpleasantly bitter. The tiny stems & leaves of the plant are mildly toxic, & should not be used. Clean your haul thoroughly, removing as many stems & unripe berries as possible. It is a labor of love for sure, but the flavor makes it worth removing any tiny berries that are green or light purple. Few under-ripe berries or stems are not a concern, but do work to remove all you can. I find popping my whole umbels into the freezer for 30-60 minutes before cleaning them makes it a lot easier to remove them from the stems.
Once cleaned, your haul can then either be frozen or dried for later use. For this brandy recipe, it's best to use fresh berries, although I've had luck with dried-- it just seems to take  double the time to get the flavor where I want it! ​
Once your berries are cleaned & ready to go, it is very easy to make Elderberry Brandy Cordial-- the hardest part is waiting for it to cure up! I have listed the additional botanicals I add to mne, but feel free to add whatever you have on hand to your own taste!
Picture
Picked clean!
Elderberry Brandy Cordial
A quart sized Mason Jar 
2 cups fresh elderberries 
Peel of an orange [organic preferred] 
2 TBS rose hips [dried or fresh] 
1” - 2” peeled ginger 
1 or 2 cinammon sticks 
2 TBS dried elderflowers [optional] 
1 quart brandy
​

1 cup sugar or honey 
1 cup water
Picture
Picture
Place your cleaned elderberries, rose hips, ginger, cinammon & elderflowers [if using in the bottom of a clean quart-sized Mason jar. Add your orange peel. Slowly fill the jar all the way to the top with brandy. All of your botanicals should be covered-- use a pickle weight if necessary to hold them under the surface. Seal up your jar & put it in a dark spot for 3 or 4 weeks. Shake it once in a while if you like. You will notice the color getting a darker & darker burgundy as it infuses.
Once it is fully infused, create a simple syrup with the water & sugar [or honey.] Allow it to cool completely. Strain off all the solids from your infused brandy base, pressing to release the absorbed liquid as you go. I usually double strain mine to be sure all plant material is removed.
Add your cooled syrup to the brandy-- anywhere from ¼ a cup to all of it depending on your tastes & how ‘sippable’ you wish yorru cordial to be. Pour it back into a clean Mason jar & set it aside to cure for at least one week. The flavors will marry resulting in a delicious & rather healthy Brandy Cordial! 
Picture
Ready to add my sweet syrup!
Enjoy it on its own or craft delicious cocktails with it. [I will be crafting some at Cupacity After Hours with mine]
​A tablespoon or 2 two times a day at the onset of a cold is very helpful as well!

I hope you enjoy this recipe!  Let me know what additions you like to add to yours-- I really like the flavors I get from adding the elderflowers & rose hips to mine. Also check out my post from last year on how to make Elderberry Syrup here. That is all for this week-- Stay safe & don’t forget to #StopAndEatTheFlowers
2 Comments
Mary Sue Wheeler
9/9/2022 09:07:01 am

Have you tried the Wahl Protocol for your MS?

Looking forward to my finished elderberry cordial- thanks!

Reply
Susan Chalmers
9/21/2022 07:52:27 am

Hello! I have not tried that diet for my RRMS. My understanding is that it is more for Progressive MS. Do let me know how your brandy turns out! It is a favorite of mine! Cheers!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Events
    Homesteading Tips
    Informational
    New Products
    Pet Care
    Recipes & Ingredients
    Soaps


    Picture
    Beautiful AND Responsible

      Sign Up Here For Our Newsletter

    Subscribe to Newsletter

    Picture
    Meet the Centuries-Old, French Cleaning Classic ​with A Modern Twist

    Author

    My husband & I were blessed with 2 beautiful girls. When I was diagnosed with MS, I couldn't keep up the pace working retail. We decided on a simpler life, built a cabin in the woods, & moved to mid-coast Maine ​


    Picture
    Treat Yourself To Our Amazing, Handcrafted Extracts

    Archives

    November 2022
    October 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019

    Picture
    Discover Luxury Herbal Skincare For All Skin Types
    Picture
    Our Multi-Purpose Utility Soaps Are Our Best Sellers For A Reason! Find Out For Yourself!

    Sign Up For Our Newsletter:  Recipes,
    Special Offers, Product Tips

Subscribe to Newsletter
Picture

'Beautiful & responsible'

 Online: Ship or Pick-Up
Store Hours:

Wednesday 11am - 4pm
​Thursday 11am - 4pm
Saturday 11am - 1pm

Damariscotta Farmers Market:​
May 26 - Oct 27 2023
QUICK LINKS:
​
About Us

Contact
Giving Back
LEARN

Wholesale
​FAQ's & Policies
Picture

207-563-6256      Dujardin.me@gmail.com       © Du Jardin 2019 

In the Smitten Barn  -  2 Hodgdon Street  -  Damariscotta, Maine 04543