American Elderberry Shrub 3 Ways

Learn to make a refreshing American elderberry shrub with fresh elderberries, freeze-dried elderberries or River Hills Harvest American Elderberry Juice.

Harvesting fresh elderberries is a rewarding experience in the early fall! About 15 years ago I had my first significant elderberry harvest, something I was not prepared for in the least. At the time I didn't have much of a clue as to how many tiny little berries I'd be left destemming and washing in my kitchen. I was also clueless as to how I was going to store all these berries without adequate freezer space. I am fully convinced I am not the only person who's been in this exact situation with their own elderberry harvest. 🤣 Luckily, a neighbor of mine introduced me to the concept of shrub drinks.

What is a shrub?

Shrub drinks have been around for many years. They can be easily made from homegrown ingredients and are generally good for you. You can think of them as one of the first soda pops. Essentially, a shrub is made with apple cider vinegar that's been infused with a fruit, vegetable or herb. This infused vinegar then gets a sweetener added to it. To drink: a small amount of the infused, sweetened vinegar is added into a carbonated or regular water, tea or spirit.

Shrubs have been growing in popularity for the last few years, now that we see how beneficial apple cider vinegar can be to take. For my personal situation of having way too many fresh elderberries and no freezer space, turning them into a shrub allowed me to fully utilize my harvest. How? The beginning step of making a shrub is infusing an apple cider vinegar, this can be done with freshly harvested elderberries that haven't yet been frozen. The jars of infusing vinegars are able to be stored easily in a dark space. When they're done infusing, you still have a shelf stable vinegar that can be stored for a long time.

My first batch of American Elderberry Shrub

Today we are just going to talk about elderberry shrub, but there are SO many shrub possibilities. Shrubs can be made from a variety of herbs, vegetables and fruits. Some personal favorites of mine are elderberry and thyme, or elderflower and lemongrass. Yes, you can use the fresh elderflowers the same way as the berries for making shrub too.

Making Shrub General Information

The shrub recipes I am offering today each have different time increments on how long they take to prepare. Depending on what you have on hand or how quickly you need the shrub, choose the recipe that works best for you.

• A shrub made with elderberry juice can be made immediately, by the glass or gallon.

• Freeze-dried berry shrubs will take about a week.

• Using fresh elderberries takes the longest, about 6-8 weeks.

American Elderberry Juice can make an immediate shrub drink!

To make a shrub, you do want to be able to infuse it and end up with a shelf stable vinegar like you started with. Most resources say you can get this with a ratio of 1:1 plant material to vinegar. I like to stay on the safe side and never add more than a third plant material. So, if you start with 2 cups of vinegar, no more than 1 cup combined of your added infusion ingredients.

Unless you are making an immediate shrub with already made elderberry juice, once you add your sweetener to the vinegar, you'll need to keep it refrigerated. It is only good in the refrigerator for a few weeks. To make your shrub last throughout the year, store your infused vinegar (shelf stable) on a shelf and only add sweetener to the small amount you would use per drink or per week. My preferred ratio to keep on hand in the refrigerator is a half pint's worth per week, and I only add 1-2 tablespoons of honey to that amount of vinegar.

Elderberry Shrub with River Hills Harvest Elderberry American Elderberry Juice

This shrub recipe simply mixes the ingredients together and is ready immediately. Serve it in a punch bowl or by the glass.

Note: This recipe is designed with American elderberry (Sambucus nigra spp canadensis) juice that does not require cooking to consume. Not juice or concentrate made with Sambucus nigra elderberries, which must be cooked first.

River Hills Harvest Elderberry Juice

Mix into a glass with ice: 1-2 tablespoons American Elderberry Juice, 2-4 tablespoons raw, apple cider vinegar, 2-3 tablespoons honey. Stir and then top with carbonated or regular water.

Elderberry Shrub with Freeze-Dried American Elderberries

Note: You can also find this recipe on our 'Three Recipes to Fall Into' blog post. On this recipe you are instructed to shake vigorously, and the vinegar is ready quickly. You can also let your berries infuse over the course of a week and shake once daily.

Freeze-dried American Elderberries infusing in vinegar.

Start with 2 to 4 cups of raw, apple cider vinegar in a clean, sanitized jar. Add about 1oz (or a half to one cup) of freeze-dried elderberries to it. Cover, shake and store in a dark location for 7 days. Once daily bring out your jar and give it a good shake. After 7 days, strain out the elderberries and discard. Mix 1-2 cups of raw honey into your infused vinegar. Keep in the refrigerator and consume within two weeks.

To use: Mix 2-4 tablespoons of your vinegar and honey mixture to a glass of regular or carbonated water, tea, juice or spirit.

** Bonus points if you mash up the discarded freeze-dried berries, add a little oil and honey. You'll end up with a tasty salad dressing!

Elderberry Shrub with Freshly Harvested American Elderberries

Note: If you are using elderberries that have been frozen and then thawed, you may want to go ahead and juice them, then refer to the first recipe. Once thawed, the cell walls break down on the berries, this would result in quite a bit of juice loss. Since you don't want to add excess juice to your vinegar infusion, frozen then thawed elderberries may not be ideal for this recipe. This recipe is for berries that have been harvested and cleaned that day and not yet frozen.

Ripe American Elderberries

Add 2 cups of raw, apple cider vinegar and 1 cup of cleaned and destemmed, fresh elderberries to a clean, sanitized jar. Put a plastic lid on it, shake and keep in a cool, dark area. For around 6-8 weeks, pull your jar out daily and shake. Once you've reached the desired level of taste, strain off the berries and discard them. You can now add around 1 cup of honey to your vinegar mix. Keep refrigerated and consume within two weeks.

To use: Mix 2-4 tablespoons of your vinegar and honey mixture to a glass of regular or carbonated water, tea, juice or spirit.

I hope you enjoy making American elderberry shrub. If you need to order American Elderberry Juice, you know we have it available here on our website. There are also some small companies out there making raw apple cider vinegar that is just amazing! I encourage you to buy local if you can, and to try different vinegars. It's a never-ending journey of flavors, if you're a vinegar lover!

Visit our Recipes page on our website to see other American elderberry recipes. Or hop over to our Health page to read up on why elderberries can be a healthy addition to your diet. If you are interested in growing your own elderberries, visit our Resources page where we have lots of information. Pick up plants if in season on our Plants & Supplies page.

Until next time, cheers to your health!

Heather

I am Heather Wilson, of the River Hills Harvest crew. By being part of the company, I am blessed to have access to American elderberries in all forms. I enjoy experimenting with new ways to incorporate them into my diet, as well as other natural plants, berries and more. I have a background in greenhouse management as well as floral design and am involved in the art community as an artist, when time allows. I enjoy playing guitar and writing songs. I also enjoy wandering in nature with no real purpose, because a purpose always presents itself. It’s a busy life, but one that I love and feel lucky to be a part of.