Hawthorn berries make the most beautiful syrup! I had never even heard of a hawthorn tree until I moved to our current house with my husband…and even then it took me years to figure out what that pretty tree with dainty white flowers in the spring + berries in the summer was + I had no idea they were edible! Come to find out they are not only edible but medicinal + can be turned into this yummy Hawthorn Berry Syrup!
Hawthorn leaves, flowers + berries are all edible. It is actually in the rose family! Hawthorn trees are pretty easy to distinguish. They have sharp, straight prickly thorns + can grow up to 30 feet tall. They have delicate white flowers in the spring that you use to make tea + more, and then in the summer, the tree starts growing red berries. As the berries ripen they turn a dark purple color. Note: There are different varieties of hawthorn + berries can range from red to blue-black in color.
My procrastinating-self waited till the last minute to pick the berries. Some of the berries were starting to wrinkle. If I had waited too much longer it would have been too late!
Hawthorn berries are used to make teas, jellies, medicinal tincture + even wine! The main medicinal benefit of the hawthorn tree is that is known to improve heart + cardiovascular function! Hawthorn flowers, leaves + berries dilate the blood vessels around the heart and body which improved blood flow + function. Thus making it helpful for high blood pressure + treating poor circulation issues like varicose veins, cold hands + feet + poor memory/cognitive function! This is definitely going to be a go-to berry for me!
Hawthorn is also known to help with emotional heart upset…anxiety, mental stress or fear that upsets the heart. Hawthorne calms the central nervous system, decreases agitation + soothes heart palpitations. Amazing!!
Just seeing the hawthorn tree with its full berry bounty is enough to calm the heart. -JJ Pursell
Hawthorn also contains flavanoids (an antioxidant that has anti-cancer + anti-viral effects), calcium, vitamin C + even has natural pectin + tannins…perfect for jellies + wine!! Tannins actually work as a natural antioxidant to protect the wine!
I truly believe in the healing power of plants! Jeff + I were starting to get ill recently and loaded up with hawthorn, yarrow + echinacea and the cold went away! God’s creation is amazing!!
You may be thinking…what the hec am I going to use hawthorn syrup for! Well…for starters a great health tonic! I forgot to mention that it also helps with diarrhea (just what you wanted to hear I’m sure;)). Here are some other great ideas for this Hawthorn Berry Syrup…
- on your yogurt parfait
- on top of ice cream
- on top of a stack of pancakes
- a yummy salad dressing with some vinegar, olive oil + s+p added
- mixed with champagne for a bellini
The possibilities go on! If you don’t have hawthorn berries available near you…you can order them online! What can’t you order online these days…I tell ya!
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe + think about adding some plant medicine to your healthcare regimen! Even if it’s not hawthorn there are so many amazing plant medicinals out there that I believe God gave us for a reason! Check out my post for Honey-Sweetened Elderflower Mimosas for more plant-inspiration!
God’s creation is just so dang beautiful + I am so thankful to live where we do and all the new things I am learning + discovering! I even found this beautiful grove of little purple flowers near the hawthorn tree that I have never seen before!
I hope you have a fabulous week + discover something new!!
References:
https://winefolly.com/review/what-are-tannins-in-wine/
https://www.news-medical.net/health/What-are-Flavonoids.aspx
http://wildfoodsandmedicines.com/hawthorn/
Hawthorn Berry Syrup {refined sugar-free}
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh hawthorn berries, picked through + washed
- 3 cups water
- 1 tsp honey, or more if desired
- 1 small squeeze lemon, or more if desired
Instructions
- Bring water + berries to a boil. Turn down heat + boil for 30 minutes, stirring often to not let the berries burn on the bottom. When you get about half-way through cooking the berries, use a potato masher to mash berries. Continue to stir + mash occasionally (more frequently towards the end as the berries thicken) until berries have broken down. Add more water + cook longer if necessary.
- Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large glass/stainless bowl and use a metal spoon to push pulp + juice through the strainer, avoiding any seeds (the seeds are large enough that they should not go through a fine-mesh strainer). Continue to do this for a while until pulp reduced to about 1/3 of what you started with. For 4 cups of berries + 3 cups water I got 1.5 cups syrup. You want to get some of the pulp in there to help thicken the syrup. If you are more patient than me you could keep going and probably get more out of it:).
- While the syrup is still warm add in honey + lemon to taste. Start with a tsp of honey and a small squeeze of lemon. You may not even need to add honey if your berries are sweet enough for you.
- Store in a mason jar in the fridge. The syrup will thicken as it sits in the fridge.
- Enjoy!
I look forward to tasting this jelly and/or wine when we visit in November!
I’ll freeze some for you!:)
Like!! Really appreciate you sharing this blog post.Really thank you! Keep writing.
Thanks! And thanks for sharing your great posts every week!
Can this be made with dried berries? If so, how much?
Thanks for the article post.Really thank you! Great.
Thanks for this! I’m a property manager who gets BUCKETS of these from 6 trees on one of my properties and I don’t want to waste them. I believe we have cockless dwarfs. I’m gonna try this recipe and if it turns out good then I’ll gift a bunch for Thanksgiving. My “Lost Book of Herbal Remedies” only had a tincture recipe. Thanks again!
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