Elderberry Syrup

We needed freezer space for a quarter of beef, so I cleaned out all the things that didn't need to be in there... Elderberry juice and frozen elderberries made up a decent chunk of space. My plan is to freeze dry the juice and see how it powders. Then I can mix up elderberry syrup from the powder. 

Lots of elderberry equals a double batch: 

I've made syrup many times, but I've never made it with fresh spices, only dried ground spices. Those tend to fall to the bottom of the jar. Since I had whole spices on hand, I went with that. 

The juice had a wonderful spicy aroma and all the whole chunks got filtered out in the end. The old applesauce strainer comes in handy again! 

 I haven't had a chance to freeze dry it yet, so stay tuned!