We may have been waiting for an Indian Summer but today there is no doubt that Autumn is here. Last week’s Autumn equinox may have heralded the end of  Summer, since then it has grown discernibly cooler and darker both at night and in the mornings. Not being a big fan of Winter or the cold and dark I took to the fields last week to gather berries for the Winter.

It truly is an abundant year for berries and hips. The trees nearby are laden with fruit.  It felt natural last week to be harvesting this fruit and preparing remedies to see us through the Winter months, already friends are suffering with colds and flu like symptoms so the timing  of my Rose-hip Syrup and Elderberry Cordial couldn’t be better.

I was surprised by the reactions of passers by to me harvesting Rose Hips and at the reactions of people when I told them what I was doing. Some were worried that I was going to poison myself, some were curious and some had no idea what a rose-hip or elderberry looked like and no knowledge about what they are used for. I think it’s sad that we have lost touch with our natural heritage and rely so much on mass produced pharmaceuticals, surely they are more alien to our systems than the natural remedies surrounding us?  I’ve included pictures of all stages to show exactly what to look for and expect.

Both fruits are rich in Vitamins A &  C and rich in anti-oxidants. The recipes below are intended to give you an insight into where to begin and are by no means a  definitive guide to making syrups from wild fruits. If you aren’t sure about anything ask someone who does know and never eat anything you’re not certain about.

Rose-hip Syrup

I collected approx 500 g of rosehips. I topped and tailed them then roughly chopped them in a blender. This can be done by hand but take care with the hairy seeds which make a particularly lethal itching powder ! I then added them to a litre of boiling water, brought back to the boil then left to infuse off the heat for half an hour.

Rosehip infusion

I then strained the infusion, you can use a jelly bag, a muslin cloth or a clean tea towel. Return the hips to the pan and repeat the infusion process. Strain the hips again and combine the liquids. Bring to the boil in a clean pan. Boil rapidly until the mixture has reduced by half. I then added apporx 500g of sugar and continued to boil until the mixture thickened. Bottle in sterilised containers and in small batches as once opened it has a short shelf life of about a week. Take it by the spoonful, drizzle on porridge or be  indulgent and add to icecream, white wine or champagne. It has a beautiful citrus aroma and flavour and my syrup was a beautiful amber hued liquid.

Elderberry Cordial

Elderberries

Harvest Elderberries on a dry day, otherwise they may go mouldy when you store them, if you use them straight away I’m sure it won’t make much difference. Rinse the berries and remove the heads with a fork. I collected about 2kg but simply use what you need and remember to leave some for the birds as they rely on them too.

Add berries to a pan and cover with boiling water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30-40 mins until the berries are softened. Strain the berry infusion using the same method above and return the liquid to the pan. I added a handful of Cloves, Star Anise and a few Cinnamon sticks for added flavour. You could experiment with flavour and maybe add Ginger as an alternative. I added 1kg of sugar to approx 2 litres of liquid and continued to boil til I had the desired consistency. To make a thicker syrup simply add more sugar and boil for longer.

Bottle in a sterile container. This can be diluted and drank like a cordial or in boiling water as a hot drink, you could add lemon and ginger at this point if you wished. It can also be added to wine or champagne to make a lovely natural cocktail such as Kir. What better way to ward off colds and beat the Winter blues !