How to Juice Elderberries – Stovetop Method (2024)

FAQs

What is the best way to juice elderberries? ›

1. Simmer berries in water for1/2 hour or so 2. Mash the berries a little with a potato masher or something similar 3. Strain the liquid off of the cooked berries using a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to separate out the seeds.

Cooking elderberries is not just a culinary step; it's a safety measure. To neutralize toxins, specifically cyanide-inducing glycosides, heat treatment is a must. Boiling elderberries for at least 30 minutes is the go-to method. This ensures the destruction of harmful compounds.

Method 1 – The Steam Juicer

I recommend picking out any green berries. I typically throw the elderberry clusters in there with the little stems but cut off the bigger stems and leaves. NOTE: Raw elderberries as well as the leaves and stems are mildly toxic (they contain cyanogenic glycosides).

Separate the berries from the stems with a fork and then freeze them. Alternatively, freeze elderberry panicles for a few hours before removing the berries. This is a great way to avoid elderberry juice stains.

Rich in Vitamin C: While the cooking process destroys the natural vitamin C content in elderberries, adding lemon juice and/or citric acid to the syrup can compensate for this loss. Vitamin C strengthens the immune system and helps fight off infections.

Elderberry appears to have few side effects when used properly for short periods of time (up to 5 days). Pregnant and breastfeeding women should not take elderberry. If you have an autoimmune disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, ask your doctor before taking elderberry, as it may stimulate the immune system.

The uncooked berries, leaves, bark, and roots of the elderberry plant contain the chemicals lectin and cyanide, which can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Cooking the berries and seeds will remove the cyanide.

Cardiovascular disease risk biomarkers and liver and kidney function are not altered in postmenopausal women after ingesting an elderberry extract rich in anthocyanins for 12 weeks.

European elderberry, Sambucus nigra was found to contain high amounts of the cyanogenic glycosides making it necessary for imported berries to be cooked prior to consumption. Caution should still be used if you ingest our elderberries raw as some people are more sensitive to this toxin.

Do you have to cook elderberries before consuming? ›

When uncooked, elderberries contain a toxic substance that can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, so any preparation of elderberries you use should be cooked. Commercial preparations of elderberry such as syrups and lozenges don't contain this substance and are generally recognized as safe for that reason.

While immune supporting magnesium, potassium, niacin, viburnic and shikimic acids and other health supporting constituents and nutrients in elderberries can withstand heating and drying, the ascorbic acid, anthocyanins, and many other flavonoids (AKA antioxidants) may not.

Pick though the dried berries to remove any sticks or unripe berries before you cook them. Then follow the recipe instructions. The berries have to be cooked for at least 45 minutes (without a cover) to ensure the deactivation of the toxin that can result in adverse gastrointestinal symptoms.

Small amounts of cyanide can be released when raw elderberries are eaten as well. The fix for this is easy: Remove the potentially harmful parts of the plant before consuming (meaning the stalks and leaves) and cook the elderberries. Boiling the berries is a safe bet, but they can also be baked, stewed, and steamed.

There are several elderberry supplement options and preparations, such as gummies, lozenges, syrups and teas, but the most popular and best way to consume elderberry is in syrup form.

The berries and flowers of elderberry are packed with antioxidants and vitamins that may boost your immune system. They could help tame inflammation, lessen stress, and help protect your heart, too. Some experts recommend elderberry to help prevent and ease cold and flu symptoms.

Elderberry supplements seem to have few risks when used daily for up to five days. The safety of its long-term use is unknown. Risks. Never eat or drink any product made from raw elderberry fruit, flowers, or leaves.

HOW LONG DOES ELDERBERRY SYRUP LAST? Once open, store in fridge and enjoy syrup and shrub within 4 months and the juice within 4 weeks. Of course some people report open syrup & shrub keeping well for more than a year in the fridge.