Jack Collingsworth

We use a cup of the berries, three cups of water, a one inch (+/-) piece of fresh ginger, three or four cloves and a cinnamon stick. Simmer for twenty minutes or until the berries are soft. Remove from heat, strain through a wire colander crushing the berries to get all the juice possible. Discard the cinnamon stick, cloves and ginger, plus any berry residue (skins). While it's still warm, add a cup of local honey and stir to dissolve. After this cools, we put it in quart canning jars with a lid and store in the refrigerator.

This past summer I was able to finally get a decent crop of elderberries the deer and birds hadn't eaten and my wife and I were able to get six quarts of juice we used to make our elixer. I had read of the benefits of the berry and started to take a tablespoon each morning to start my day and thought nothing more about it. Now we are well into the cold/flu season and I work part time in retail with major interaction with the general permies, as do all of my fellow salesmen. I noticed everyone I work with has had at least one major respiratory bout this season, but I've remained unscathed and symptom free. My instincts tell me it's the elixer...