Fully wash the fresh elderberries, and completely remove the berries from the stems.
Pat the berries dry.
Add the fresh or dried elderberries to a sanitised clean jar (or any glass jar you have). Unlike making other tinctures, do not mash or grind the berries when adding them to the glass jar. This is to prevent tiny elderberry seeds from remaining in your tincture after it’s strained off. The seeds can upset the digestive tract and by leaving the berries whole, there is less of a chance seeds will be in the tincture.
If you're using fresh you need enough berries to fill 1/2 of your jar. If you're using dried, you need to fill the jar 1/3 of the way full.
Submerge the plant material in alcohol and make sure it’s completely covered.
Add the lid and give the jar a good shake to ensure all of the plant parts are covered by alcohol.
Leave the jar to sit at room temperature in a dark place away from direct sunlight for 6-8 weeks. I like to leave my tinctures in a dark cabinet or the pantry.
Aim to shake the jar 3-4 times a week to keep everything covered in alcohol.
After 6-8 weeks, use a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to strain off the tincture. If the berries are soft and coming apart, use a coffee filter to strain the liquid to ensure no seeds are left in the final tincture.
Use a funnel to add the tincture to your amber glass bottles.
Add the date and label the tincture to make sure you don’t forget what it is.
