I had two elderberry bushes I harvested to make elderberry tonic each year. It was absolutely the best thing I ever grew for my health. All I had to do was pick a bunch of berries, strip them from the stems, mash the berries, and boil them with just enough water to cover the berries. When it cooled, I poured some in freezer bags and stacked the bags flat in the freezer. I made tea from other herbs in my garden and once every other week or so in the winter months, I took a chunk of the frozen elderberry juice and dropped it into a nice hot cup of tea, with honey. For the first time in my life, I survived a winter without a cold, flu, or pneumonia. For several years, I was never sick, because of the elderberry tonic. Sometimes, I just had hot tonic with honey. It was quite delicious and I really wish I had some elderberries in my new home to pick this fall. The elderberries I grew were so plentiful that I was able to leave a lot of the berries for the birds.
There are many recipes for elderberry tonic on the internet, but I kept mine simple so I could use it in a variety of teas and different fruits and herbs added for flavoring. Now that I am growing stevia, I would boil the leaves with the berries and strain them out before freezing. If I only had some elderberries. I also miss the heavenly smell of the blossoms. I could never walk through my garden without stopping to smell the blossoms, even from several feet away. It is my favorite flower scent and I would grow them just to smell the blossoms if I was unable to make the tonic.
