Getting a cold or stomach flu is awful! What makes it even worse…. When the whole family comes down with it! As it slowly makes its way through each family member, you think…. is this ever going to end?!!?
What if I told you I had a solution to help keep your DEEP immune system strong and healthy to fight whatever muck comes your way? But, if you do end up with something, this trick will also help reduce the length of time your cold or flu sticks around!
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Last week, I talked about making your own super healthy chicken or beef bone broth with the secret ingredient that helps you build your deep immune system. If you didn’t get a chance to read that post, you can click the link below so you can read it now!
Today I am going to share with you the other trick we do all year long in our house, to help prepare our bodies to fight off germs heading our way…
ELDERBERRY GUMMY’S
**Now before we start… Just to be very clear, I am not a doctor. I am a mom on a journey to better help my family live healthy lives. All my knowledge on this subject comes from my own research. It is always best to do your own research to ensure it’s right for your family and if you have any doubt consult your primary doctor.
Did you know that elderberries contain many vitamins and nutrients that benefit our health? They are very rich in antioxidants, vitamin A, potassium, vitamin C, folate, calcium, and iron. As you add them into your diet, you will notice your body able to fight off the common cold and flus coming your way better because it has plenty of nutrients to help fight with.
Here are just SOME of the benefits of adding elderberries into your diet:
- Build your immune system
- Reduce the amount of time a cold or flu sticks around, if you do catch one
- Digestive health
- Allergy relief
- Heart health
I must note that eating raw berries can cause stomach problems when consuming the wrong variety, however once they are cooked the risk of stomach problems is no longer an issue. Luckily, the recipe I have below is for COOKED elderberry gummy’s 😊
What You Will Need:
2/3 cup dried elderberries OR 1 1/3 cup fresh or frozen elderberries (I use dried)
3 ½ cup water
2 TBSP fresh or dried ginger root
1 tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp cloves
1 cup raw honey
5 scoops beef gelatin (use the scoop provided OR use 5 TBSP)
*Silicon molds to make your gummy’s or a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray will work too, and you can cut them into little squares! The link below is the silicon molds I purchased on Amazon and the girls love eating gummy’s out of them!
I buy everything I need at my local grocery store except for 2 items.
The first item I purchase online is dried elderberries. As you can see in the picture, they are very tiny little berries that have been dried to preserve. I store them in a food storage bucket.
I am not able to grow my own elderberries in my climate so that is why I buy the dried elderberries online. The link below takes you right to what I purchase and use!
The second item I purchase on Amazon for these gummy’s is beef gelatin. This ingredient not only gives the syrup a gel form so that they will hold their shape, but it also has added benefits to your health and gut! Beef gelatin is packed with collagen, which is an abundant protein in your body that aids in digestion, better skin, hair and nails, and bone and joint health. It moves slower through you GI tract and coats the small intestine, so it aids in your gut health. Below is the link to the brand I use and love!
Ok, so now you have all your ingredients here is what you do…
- Add water, elderberries, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves to a pot, give it a good stir and bring it to a boil. Once it starts to boil, reduce to a simmer and cover the pot with a lid. Let this simmer for 45 minutes to an hour until the liquid has reduced to almost half.
2. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly. Not very long just so it stops bubbling a bit.
3. Now mash the berries up with a flat utensil. I use a potato masher!
4. Strain your berries and cloves out so your syrup is in a bowl. At this point you are welcome to stop here. Let it cool so its not piping hot, stir in the honey and put your syrup into a jar and place it in the fridge. Just drink a sip a day or every other day and you will get the benefits of a powerful immune boosting elderberry syrup! If you want gummy’s and the added benefits of the gelatin, continue onto the next step.
**remember to only add the honey at this point if you are NOT making gummy’s and you’re leaving it as a syrup.
5. While your syrup is still very hot you want to slowly add your 5 scoops of beef gelatin in while continuing to whisk the whole time. It is very important that your syrup is very hot and to whisk as you are adding the gelatin, or you will get large clumps of gelatin and it won’t completely dissolve!
6. Once you have added your gelatin let the mixture cool, so it is not piping hot and then add the honey. Stir well and you are ready to fill your molds!
7. Use a medicine dropper (my silicon molds came with one!) to fill each mold with your mixture. I place my molds on cookie sheets for easy transport in and out of the refrigerator. Unless you have a lot of molds you may have to refill the molds a couple times to use up all the syrup.
8. Put them in the fridge to set for about 15-20 minutes. Once they are set, pop them out of the molds and stick them into a sealed jar or container and keep in the fridge.
The girls and I eat a couple gummy’s every day and they last for about a month or so. They call them their elderberry fruit snacks, since we don’t buy fruit snacks in our house,this is such a treat for them and they are building their immune systems at the same time! YES!
My girls will not drink the syrup by itself but LOVE the gummy’s…. Go figure! That is why I do the added work of making them into gummy’s. If you are choosing to go a step farther and make gummy’s instead of leaving it as syrup, please note that the task can become tedious as you are filling each mold with a dropper.
But I believe there is nothing worth more then the health of your family!
Now go try these elderberry gummy’s today to start getting your DEEP immune system built up and ready to fight!
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