A few weeks ago, my friend, Rachel Wolf, sent me a copy of her new book, Herbal Adventures. (You might know Rachel from her family’s small business, LuSa Organics.) I’d been eagerly awaiting it’s release for many months, having known she was working on this project. The book is geared towards children, but I think it’s great for adults too. It’s full of Rachel’s gentle wisdom and knowledge of wild plants and herbal remedies. There is information on foraging, plant identification, and then chapters on specific plants and how to use them. They aren’t obscure, hard to find plants, either. Many are common weeds that you might have in your backyard, or could easily obtain. Chickweed, nettle, dandelion, and plantains are among those featured.
The book is not only full of highly accessible information, but beautiful photography as well. My girls love it, and are eager to try out many of the recipes. Next summer, I suspect it will be their constant companion.
This week Beatrix made the elderberry gummies, perfect this time of year to help prevent illness.
Rachel offered to share the recipe with you, in addition to offering one of you a copy of Herbal Adventures (read on to the end for your chance to win!)
Elderberry Gummies
Elderberry gummies are a treat for children and adults alike. My kids can never get enough of these jiggly delights.
Tip: Always use dried elderberries for this recipe, as fresh yield weaker, watery gummies.
Active time: under 20 minutes
Total time: 2 hours
Yield: One 8×8 pan of gummies
Ingredients
½ cup (approximately 2 oz) dried elderberries
3 cups water
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, or ¼ cup orange juice concentrate
¼ cup grass-fed gelatin powder
¼ cup raw honey
Instructions
Combine the water and dried berries in a medium pot.
Simmer over medium heat until the volume of water is reduced by 25 to 50 percent. The color will be deep and rich.
Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Add lemon juice, stir, then pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Press or squeeze berries to extract as much juice as possible. Compost or discard the solids.
Add additional water, if needed, to bring your volume back up to 1 ½ cups.
Whisk the gelatin into the still warm liquid by hand, then stir in honey. (Do not use an electric mixer or blender, which will compromise the texture of the finished gummies.)
Pour into an 8 x 8 baking dish or gummy molds.
Transfer carefully to the refrigerator and chill until fully set.
Cut and eat!
To use
Enjoy these gummies as a snack or dessert. Eat a few 1 inch cubes per day as desired. Because these gummies contain honey, they are not suitable for children under 1 year of age.
Storage
Gummies are so delicious that they never last long! Store in refrigerator for up to 4 days.
You can purchase (affiliate link) Herbal Adventures here. And, one Small Things reader will win a copy! For your chance to win, leave a comment on this post. This giveaway has ended, and the winner is Rosie, who commented “My girls would adore that book! They’re already hilariously into foraging, and don’t understand why their suburban friends don’t want to eat their weird herb concoctions when they come to visit ;)”
Thanks, Rachel!
THis book looks lovely. Thank you for the chance.
I can’t wait to try these gummies!
I love this idea but I don’t know how it would translate to the urban jungle of San Francisco. I mean, we have dandelions but I don’t know of much else…..
Looks like a fantastic book. I’ll likely purchase a few, whether I win or not. 🙂
Oh! I’ve been looking for a basic herbal book, the others I’ve found are so above me ??
Sounds like a super book. My girls (and I) would love it I think!
Thanks for the opportunity to win this book. I know my kids would love something like this!
The book is lovely! I’m sure that my kids would learn alot from it. Thank you for the opportunity.
I’m all about staying healthy using as many natural, herbal items as possible. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Marilyn (in Dallas)
Thank you for sharing the Elderberry Gummies. Been a fan of Rachel Jepson Wolf for a long time.
So excited about the elderberry gummies! I met a lady this summer who grows them and markets the concentrate. I will share this information with her.
Not sure if this is an international give away, but this book looks like something we would enjoy! And thanks for the recipe too.
Thanks for the giveaway! Looks like a great book 🙂
Thank you for the giveaway and recipe. I was so excited to find elderberries growing on our property this summer. They make you feel better just looking at them! Peace!
Lovely!
Great book. Thanks for gummies recipe and book giveaway. ?
Oooo – I’d love to have this book! I’ve been wishing for it to appear in my Christmas stocking!
This would make for a very useful and interesting addition to things that I could do with my 5 grandchildren. I enjoy finding alternatives to help them stay healthy!
What fun! I hope my local health food store carries dried elderberries. I would love a chance to win Rachel’s fantastic book.
My family and I would love this, thank you!
What a lovely book! My kids and I would so enjoy it.
What a great recipe-thank you for sharing it in this cold/flu season! Would love the book!! Merry Christmas to you and your family!?
My kids would love this book (me too)! We make elderberry syrup with frozen elderberries, I wonder how that would work with this recipe?
Hi Kari. Dried elderberries are preferred for this recipe, as it concentrates the flavors. When we tested the recipe with frozen they were watery. Hope that helps! ~ Rachel
It sure does! Thank you!
Sounds wonderful!
I am trying to explore more herbalism. This book sounds wonderful and I’m off to get some dried elderberries for this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
I’m going to try this recipe….. I didn’t like the consistency I achieved with the recipe I’ve been using. Thank-you!
Thank you for sharing the recipe!
I would love to have this book!
I don’t really need another herb book… but this one looks SO good! 🙂
I would love to win this book!
Oh what a great book! I always feel so lost reading and researching online. This is far more practical for me.
My son and I would enjoy this book! Thanks for the chance to enter the giveaway!
Neat looking book!
Well, that sure looks neat!
Thank you for the wonderful recipe and the giveaway!
What a fantastic book. I think this will make it onto my gift giving list for a couple of people.
What a blessing it would be to have a handy reference for helping my family stay healthy naturally!
Would love to win this book. Thanks for the giveaway.
My kids would love to forage on our land! Thanks!
There’s nothing prettier than a book full of nature. Thank you for the chance to bring this beautiful book home. 🙂
My six year old and I would have a great time with this book i think! Thanks for the give away 🙂
Will have to make these with my daughter. Thanks for the chance!
Oh, how great it would be to win this book for my 8 year old daughter. Not long ago we did a field workshop together about foraging and cooking with wild plants. This book would be such a nice addition to this. Thanks for sharing the opportunity to win this book. Fingers crossed.
Which gelatin do you use. I looked some up and, as usual, too many conflicting reviews and comments.
Would love to hear which one you use to save me the groundwork :-))
I’d love a copy of this book!
Thanks for the chance to win!
My girls would adore that book! They’re already hilariously into foraging, and don’t understand why their suburban friends don’t want to eat their weird herb concoctions when they come to visit 😉
Thanks for the gummy recipe. This sounds like a great resource.
I think a “kids” book on this topic is a perfect way for adults to learn about a really interesting and valuable skill like herbal remedies. Great idea!
Oh how I would love to win this. I like reading blogs and learning on the internet, but I learn best from books and from being shown how to do something. This looks like my kind of book!