Harvest from the trees: Elderberries

UPDATE: Elderberry extract is a more powerful flu fighter than Tamiflu

There are lots of elderberries growing wild around Chez Zen. Last year, I made several jars of elderberry jelly.

Right now, elderberries are in bloom. It's prime time to start identifying and marking the location of the plants so you'll know where they are when the berries are ripening. There's nothing worse than finding a good stand of something and then forgetting where it is later on.

Before you start setting your hopes on elderberries, though, you need to be sure you get a positive ID on them. Don't ever guess about a plant. Be absolutely sure. Many people have died by eating poisonous plants because they didn't identify them correctly.

I have several field guides that I use when I go out plant hunting. I have also spent time with foresters and park rangers - people whose job it is to know the native plant species in a certain area. I would strongly advise anyone who plans to go out into the wild in search of edibles to really do his or her research beforehand. Get it touch with your area forester or, at the very least, your county extension office. Get your hands on some good field guides. Talk to people in your area. Don't take unnecessary risks. Here is a link to the University of Tennessee's pdf format Pocket Guide to Identifying Common Tennessee Trees to get you started.

Common elderberry - Sambucus canadensis - is techincally a tree, but it's most commonly found as a woody shrub, somewhere between 4 ft. to 10 ft. tall. It has smooth yellowish-grayish branches. Compound leaves are set oppositely in pairs in a feather-like arrangement. The leaf surface is bright green. The oval to lance-shaped leaflets are up to 6" long and 2 1/2" wide, with finely serrated margins. They are abruptly narrowed at the tip and lopsidedly narrowed or rounded at the base. Leaflets are usually held on short stalks; the terminal leaflet is on a longer stalk.
Elderberries bloom from mid-to-late June through August. The individual white flowers are about 1/4" in width and they are quite fragrant. The flowers grow in large round, almost umbrella-like clusters, which are from 4 to 10 inches across.The flowers are edible. Many people cut off the entire cluster, dip in pancake batter and deep fry the clusters. I've never done this, as I prefer to let the flowers ripen into fruit. You can also make elderberry flower jelly, using the same recipe as for rose petal jelly.

Elderberry plants tend to grow in clusters, as the tiny berries are scattered. It's common to see small thickets of elderberries growing along well drained roadsides and creekbeds throughout the Southeastern US. They prefer sunny locations.
Elderberries start to ripen in late July through September. They first form numerous green BB-sized berries, then gradually darken to purple. They're nearly black-purple when fully ripe.
When ripe, the clusters of elderberries droop on the bushes, giving them a distinct appearance that is easy to spot - just look for the bent over branches.The easiest way to harvest elderberries is to take along a grocery sack and a pair of scissors or kitchen shears. Cut off the entire cluster and drop it in the bag. To get enough berries for a batch of jelly or a couple of pies, it takes about 3 plastic grocery bags full of clusters.

To strip the berries off the clusters, you can either strip them off the stems using a fork, or you can put the entire cluster in the freezer. When frozen, shake the cluster over a large bowl, or inside a ziplock bag. The berries will fall right off.

Wondering what to do with all those elderberries?

Obviously, you can make jelly. Here is my recipe for Elderberry Jelly.
You can also bake with them. Substitute them for blackberries in a cobbler, or try baking them in a pie.

ELDERBERRY PIE

Pastry for 2-crust pie
3 1/2 c. washed stemmed elderberries
1 tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice
1 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 c. flour
1 tbsp. butter

Spread elderberries in pastry-lined 9-inch pie pan. Sprinkle with vinegar. Combine sugar, salt and flour. Sprinkle over berries. Dot with butter. Adjust top crust. Cut vents. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes.

And lastly, you can try your hand at winemaking. Elderberry wine is a popular choice among home winemakers.

If you do make elderberry wine, though, be sure you don't do with it what the two old ladies did in Arsenic and Old Lace!