Elderberries are popular for their unusual flavour in pies, jellies, and jams, and are sometimes used in winemaking. They hang in clusters from wood-like stems. Only the purplish-black elderberries are good for eating, and must always be cooked. Green or bright red elderberries are bitter, and possibly toxic, even when cooked.
How to tell when elderberries are ready to harvest: Ripe elderberries tend to be a deep purple to black colour. Underripe elderberries will not ripen after being harvested. Do not eat elderberries when green.
When to submit a pick request: We’ll need some advance notice to schedule your pick, so please submit a fruit pick request 3-5 days before your fruit is ready. A good time to do this is when an entire cluster of Elderberries is a purplish-black and not green, as this means the berries are ripe and ready for harvesting.
Picking tips: Elderberries grow in clusters. When picking elderberries, remove the cluster as a whole by snapping the stem at the base of the branch. Remove the berries from the stem by holding the cluster over a bowl with one hand and gently running your other hand down the cluster, separating each berry and allowing it to fall into the bowl below. One technique is to use a wide-tooth comb to separate the berries from the stem.
Eating tips: Elderberries are poisonous raw. They need to be cooked to make them edible. They have all sorts of cooked uses, though! Think pie, jelly, juice, and wine!
Storage tips: Elderberries should not be stored in containers at room temperature for more than 2-4 hours as this can cause them to spoil. They should generally be frozen or cooked immediately after picking them.
Only the purplish-black elderberries are good for eating, and must always be cooked. Green or bright red elderberries are bitter, and possibly toxic, even when cooked. How to tell when elderberries are ready to harvest: Ripe elderberries tend to be a deep purple to black colour.
Hemlock is in the same family as wild fennel, parsley, parsnip and carrot. They can all look a bit like elderberry when in bloom. It's important to check leaves and stems! Fennel has yellow flowers, fronds instead of leaves, and smells strongly of licorice.
Similar to aronia berry, elderberry is also referred to as a "superfruit' due to its high level of antioxidants and associated health benefits. However, unlike the aronia berry, elderberry can be eaten right off the bush and has a sweet taste. Thus, they can be marketed fresh or in you-pick operations.
Planting at least two will increase cross-pollination and berry harvest. Elderberries are wind-pollinated and should be planted no more than 60 feet from each other.
In certain areas, elderberry shrubs can be invasive. While they are a native species in North America, they can grow and spread quickly in certain environments. This is especially true in moist soils with lots of sun.
Aralia spinosa, often called devil's walking stick, is commonly confused for the American elderberry. And just one glance at the plant reveals why: Aralia's dense clusters of dark purple berries hanging from vivid burgundy stems look strikingly like the American elder.
Unlike Pokeweeds, Elderberry leaves have jagged edges you can feel when touching them. The leaves also have veins running along the top right until the jagged edges. The berries are dark purple, and they have a somewhat tart flavor. The berries are safe to consume, unlike Pokeweed.
To get the most flowers and berries, plant elderberries in full sun. Partial shade can be tolerated if you are growing the plant for its decorative foliage. Plant elderberries in the ground at the same depth as their roots. Elderberries are shallow-rooted, so keep them well watered through the first growing season.
Berries may take two to three years to appear. Look for varieties such as 'John's,' 'Adams,' 'Nova' or 'York,' which are all good producers. Berries are ready to harvest from August to September, depending on the cultivar you're growing.
Game birds, squirrels and other rodents, and several kinds of browsers also feed on the fruit or foliage of elderberry. Bears love to eat the elderberry fruits while deer, elk, and moose browse on the stems and foliage. The elderberries are important sources of summer food for many kinds of songbirds.
Pruning out all the suckering growth around the base of the plants is important to keep them clean as well as to suppress the invasive tendencies of spreading too fast. Mature elderberries should have five to eight canes per bush.
When uncooked, elderberries contain a toxic substance that can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, so any preparation of elderberries you use should be cooked. Commercial preparations of elderberry such as syrups and lozenges don't contain this substance and are generally recognized as safe for that reason.
The ideal substitute for elderberries is other tart berries that are usually cooked with sweeteners, like black currants or cranberries (via Food Subs). Lingonberries, if available, can also be used, but in the U.S., you'll most easily be able to find cranberries (via Gourmet Sleuth).
Cow Parsley is probably one of the plants most likely to be mistaken for Elderflower. The flowers grow on green stalks, directly from the ground and there are no leaves on Cow Parsley stalks. Hawthorn may well also be confused with Elderflower.
Another difference is that giant hogweed does not produce berries. Elderberry has hanging clusters of blue-black, fleshy berries. And finally, elderberry does not possess sap that can cause burning and blistering on the skin making it safer to handle than giant hogweed.
Introduction: My name is Frankie Dare, I am a funny, beautiful, proud, fair, pleasant, cheerful, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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