There are a few things in common that Louisiana and Mexico share, and one of them is the Sambucus nigra, most commonly known at the Elder, or Sáuco, in Spanish,

Relastically, this plant has spread througout the american continent and is one of the most accesible and powerful medicine we can find when colder months hit due to it’s antiviral and immune properties.

But its fragrant flowers and tasty berries not only limit themselves to medicine but allow us to enjoy them in a tasty way in the kitchen. The berries of this plant are known to be a bit toxic when ingested raw, so it’s very important to cook them down before eating them in any way. No, one single berry won’t harm anyone, but a handful might…

And what are ways this plant is used in culinary world? Maybe you’ve had St Germain? A popular elderflower liqueur, or maybe you’ve made or tried a cordial someone made, this being a very popular recipe, and so is Elderberry Syrup, one of the most traditional and oldest ways to use the berry.

Today we are sharing some simple and tasty ways to use Elderberry in your Kitchen while enjoying the medicine this plant has to offer.

Most all of the ingredients are available in our shop, including coconur sugar, oats, flour mix, squashes, pumpkins… but you can just see for yourself here.

Candied Squash Pancakes & Elderberry Syrup

• 1 cup of Good Eden gluten-free flour mix, or other GF flour of choice.
• 4 tablespoons of oat flour (you can simply blend oats)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened almond/oat/soy milk
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
• 1 squash (kabocha, acorn, butternut) if wanting to make the candied squash, or just get some canned pumpkin pureé if feeling lazy.
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 Tbsp coconut sugar
• 1 Tbsp of maple syrup or honey
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cardamom
• 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chunks *optional
• Good Eden Elderberry Syrup

If making candied squash:

• 1 satsuma or orange
• 1 anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 clove
• 1/4 cup maple or honey

Directions:

We will start with the candied Squash.

1. Slice the squash in half and clean out the seeds. Leave the skin on and continue to slice to half moons.
2. In a pan add 1/8 cup of water, 1/4 cup of maple or honey, anise, clove, sliced orange or satsuma.
3. Let cook in low heat, covered, until the liquid becomes syrupy.
4. Once done take most of the squash, leaving about 6-8 pieces for garnish, and puree the rest in a food processor.

For the pancakes:

1. Combine milk and lemon juice or vinegar in a large bowl and let rest for 5 minutes to curdle. Then add melted coconut oil, maple syrup or honey, 1/3 cup of pumpkin pureé, maple syrup, coconut sugar, vanilla extract, and whisk to combine.
2. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices over the wet ingredients, and lastly fold in chocolate if added. If the batter appears too thin, add a bit more flour. If too thick, add a splash of almond milk. Let batter rest for 5-10 minutes.
3. Preheat your pan or griddle in low heat.
4. Oil your griddle and pour 1/4 cup measurements of the batter onto the griddle. Flip when bubbles appear in the middle and the edges turn slightly dry. Cook for 1-3 minutes more on the other side.

Lastly, plate and top off with a few slices of candied squash and drizzle Elderberry Syrup.

Elderberry Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

This is a super easy and tasty snack. Pumpkin seeds are nutritious on their own—they contain a wide range of vitamins and minerals, like magnesium, zinc, fiber + iron—sprinkling them with organic veggies+ greens powder turns them into delicious inflammation-fighting, immune-supporting bites

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds
• 4 tablespoons of elderberries
• 2 tablespoons of cacao nibs *optional
• 1 tablespoon of Good Eden’s Elderberry Syrup
• 1 tablespoon of Coconut Oil

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl
3. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Done!

Rosehip, Orange Peel, Elderberry & Meyer Lemon Iced Tea

Rosehip, Orange Peel & Citruses are packed with Vitamin C. We like to find ways to get Vitamin C into our systems that are also tasty and can share.

You can always get creative with this recipe and use rose petals and hibiscus, for more added flavor and more Vitamin goodness. Just remember to change your liquid ratios and to always cold steep when wanting to extract Vitamin C, as hot steep will not keep these properties.

• 1.70 ounces of dried rosehip
• .40 ounces of dried orange peel (you can save the peels of your satsumas or oranges and dry)
• 1 meyer lemon
• 1 tablespoon of Good Eden’s Elderberry Syrup
• 3 cups of water
• Fresh orange, satsuma, grapefruit peels to garnish *optional

1. Preferably grind the rosehip and orange peel to get smaller pieces. The smaller, the more medicine you are able to extract.
2. In a 32 oz mason jar or similar, add the rosehip, orange peel and 3 cups of water. Let sit in the fridge at least 12 hours.
3. Strain, add Elderberry Syrup… you can always add more if wanting more sweetness and Meyer Lemon.