@glyph
leaves of common lilac and black elderberry are tightly packed in a jar without any liquid additions - after leaving it be in the sun, the juices flow out on their own. After a few days, once the mass gets brown and the smell is strong, you can try drying in an oven or some other device

@tomasteck

wonderful, thanks so much for sharing! i'd love to try that some day :)

@glyph
we'll dry it today and check the results. :) adding honey at some point might be a good idea for the next batch