DIY Elderberry Gummies
Learn to make your own homemade elderberry gummies for immune support and to help shorten a cold or the flu. This is the easiest way to get your kids to take their daily immune-boosting elderberry syrup.
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Equipment
- Silicone Gummy Bear Molds
- Candy Thermometer
- Cooking Spray
Ingredients
For the Elderberry Tea Concentrate
- 1 cup elderberries (fresh) or ½ cup dried elderberries
- 1 cup water
For the Elderberry Gummies
- 6 teaspoons gelatin
- ¾ cup honey
- ¾ cup granulated white sugar
- 2 teaspoons citric acid
- ½ cup elderberry tea
- 1 Tablespoon elderberry tea
To Coat the Elderberry Gummies
- 6 teaspoons granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon citric acid
Instructions
Make Your Elderberry Tea Concentrate
- Add water and fresh or dried elderberries to a medium-sized pot. Turn the heat to medium and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Once the liquid comes to a simmer, turn the heat to low, cover with a lid and let simmer for ten minutes.
- After the ten minutes, turn the heat off and let the pot sit, with the lid on, for twenty minutes.
- Strain the liquid into a Mason jar and place it in the refrigerator overnight or until it’s cold.
Prepare Your Molds
- Spray the silicone molds with cooking spray, then turn them upside down to let any excess cooking spray drain out. Just before filling, tap the molds on the towel-lined surface once more to remove any remaining oil.
Make Elderberry Gummies
- Add honey, sugar and 1 Tablespoon of elderberry tea into a pot. Stir to combine.
- Turn the heat to medium-high. While stirring constantly, cook the mixture until it reaches 260°F. Homesteading Hack: As the temperature of the gummy mixture rises, it may boil over, so be ready to turn the heat down to avoid a mess!
- Once the mixture reaches 260°F (or the “soft-ball” stage of candy making), turn the heat off and let the mixture cool to 190°F.
- While the mixture is cooling, mix the gelatin into the ½ cup of chilled elderberry tea. Stir to combine and allow the gelatin to bloom for 5-10 minutes.
- Once the mixture has cooled and the gelatin/elderberry tea mixture has thickened, stir in the citric acid and the gelatinous elderberry tea into the pot. Homesteading Hack: Stir well to remove any lumps.
- Place gummy molds on a cookie sheet so they can be easily transferred to the refrigerator once they’re filled.
- Using a dropper, fill each gummy bear mold to the top. Try to avoid air bubbles because they will remain in the gummy bear. Keep a toothpick on hand to pop any bubbles. Homesteading Hack: This part takes a while, so having a kitchen buddy is very helpful to speed up this step.
- Transfer the gummies to the refrigerator and let them set up for 8 to 12 hours or overnight.
Coat the Elderberry Gummies
- Once the gummies have set up, you can prolong their shelf-life by coating them in a mixture of granulated sugar and citric acid.
- Mix together six parts of granulated sugar and one part of citric acid (for example, six teaspoons of sugar with one teaspoon of citric acid).
- Dip each gummy bear into the sugar mixture and set it back on the cookie sheet.
- Allow the sugar coated gummies to sit in the refrigerator for up to three weeks to continue to dry out. The gummies can be eaten now, but they’ll be more shelf-stable if they dry out further.
Notes
Elderberry Dosing
- Preventative: We like to take two elderberry gummies once or twice daily during the cold and flu season (or whenever the seasons change). This helps give our immune systems a good boost and helps keep our body’s ability to fight off viruses and bacteria strong.
- When Sick: If someone does start to feel sick, or we have illness running through the household, we’ll increase the dose to two gummies a few three times per day for those who aren’t sick and two gummies every two to three hours for those fighting illness.
Tried this recipe?We want to see! Tag @homesteadingfamily on Instagram.