Pour 1 cup dried elderberries into a measuring cup and rinse them quickly under cool water to remove any dust, then set aside.

Peel a 2-inch piece of fresh ginger root and mince it finely into pieces about the size of a lentil.

Pour 3 cups of filtered water into your saucepan and set it over medium-high heat. Add the cinnamon stick, cloves, and minced ginger, then bring the mixture to a gentle boil.

Once the water is boiling, add the prepared elderberries and fresh thyme. Stir gently to make sure they're submerged in the liquid.

Lower the heat to medium-low and let the mixture simmer gently for 25 to 30 minutes. The liquid should reduce by roughly half.

Remove the pan from heat and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth into a bowl, pressing gently on the berries to extract all the liquid.

Pour the strained liquid into a measuring cup. You should have roughly 1.5 to 2 cups of liquid.

Return the strained liquid to the saucepan and warm it over low heat just until it's hot to the touch but not boiling. Remove from heat and stir in 3/4 cup of raw honey plus the optional lemon juice, stirring until the honey fully dissolves.

Let the syrup cool to room temperature, then pour it into clean glass jars with tight-fitting lids using a funnel. Store in the refrigerator where it will keep for 4 to 6 weeks.