{"id":1102,"date":"2022-04-14T19:11:54","date_gmt":"2022-04-14T19:11:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/khetwise.com\/blog\/elderberry-gummies-recipe\/"},"modified":"2022-04-14T19:11:54","modified_gmt":"2022-04-14T19:11:54","slug":"elderberry-gummies-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/khetwise.com\/blog\/elderberry-gummies-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"Easy Homemade Elderberry Gummies Recipe (Kids favorite!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Packed with protein and immune boosting micronutrients, this elderberry gummies recipe is one of our family\u2019s favorite snacks!<\/p>\n

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Why Homemade Elderberry Gummies?<\/h2>\n

To be completely honest, I am not a big fan of snacks. Most of the typical snack foods are not very high in nutrients. What\u2019s more, standard snacks are typically only a source of carbohydrates and are lacking in fat and protein. To keep blood sugar stable, I try to make sure our meals and snacks are well balanced to include carbohydrates, protein, and fat.<\/p>\n

But sometimes life calls for a snack. Especially when you have young kids and errands ran longer than expected. A snack can be just the thing to quell all the looming meltdowns. <\/p>\n

I wanted to have something on hand that I could easily whip out in case of these emergencies. That\u2019s when we took the homemade elderberry syrup that we had made earlier in the year from foraged elderberries, added some gelatin, and these homemade gummies were created. <\/p>\n

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What are Elderberries?<\/h2>\n

Elderberries grow from the elder plant, which is a large shrub that can grow up to 30 feet tall. Where we live in the Midwest, elder plants grow very well and you can find their berries almost anywhere; in forests, along paths, and even the ditches along the side of the road. <\/p>\n

The berries of the elder, or elderberries, are not to be eaten raw. They are poisonous when they are uncooked and can cause digestive distress. <\/p>\n

However, when cooked properly, these berries are a powerhouse of nutrition and have been long known for their ability to provide immune system support. Elderberries contain vitamin C, vitamin A, bioflavonoids, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, beta carotene, iron, potassium, and phytosterols. We like to have them available especially in the winter months and have found them to be personally helpful in combatting cold and flu symptoms. <\/p>\n

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Elderberry Syrup<\/h2>\n

One of our family\u2019s favorite late summer activities is to forage for elderberries. <\/p>\n

We will keep extra bags in our car for when the right opportunity arises. When we spot a good patch of easy-to-grab elderberries in an area suitable for foraging, we pile out of the car and go to town to collect elderberries. Our preferred method is to cut the whole branch where the berries are from the stem and put them in a grocery bag. Once our bag is full, we put it in our freezer.<\/p>\n

Then, after we\u2019ve collected several bags full of elderberries, we\u2019ll make up a huge batch of elderberry syrup. This is the process of adding water and cooking down elderberries to make a potent elderberry juice. From there, add raw honey to make a syrup. My go-to recipe for elderberry syrup comes from Rosemary Gladstar\u2019s book Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner\u2019s Guide<\/a><\/em><\/strong>. <\/p>\n

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A helpful tidbit we learned along the way is that the berries shake off their stems much easier when they are frozen. Come flu season, we take them directly from frozen to make our elderberry syrup. Elderberry syrup is a delicious way to use elderberries but other elderberry recipes call for using them in jams or wine.<\/p>\n

All about Gelatin<\/h2>\n

Until we delved into the real food journey, my only framework for gelatin was the funky, brightly colored Jello dishes that showed up on tables at potlucks. But its benefits are numerous, including the many gut benefits of gelatin. <\/p>\n

Gelatin is colorless and flavorless and made from the collagen found in animal bones, skin, and tissues. Gelatin is a powerhouse of protein containing up to 18 different amino acids but is particularly packed with glycine, proline, and alanine.<\/p>\n

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According to WedMD<\/a>, a few of the benefits of gelatin include:<\/p>\n