Finding Elderberries

Last week I found the "mother lode" of elderberries along my route to work. 

A big bowl of elderberries

Here in Minnesota, August and September are the months when elderberries are ripe for the picking, but learning where to find elderberries begins in the early summer.

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Green, unripe berries.

During most of the year, elderberries blend seamlessly into the landscape finding their home on the edges of woodlands and near small bodies of water. But during early summer, their bodacious blooms call out as if to say, "Here I am!".

Big showy blossoms.

So whenever I am in the car or on a bike, I keep my eyes peeled and make a mental map of where the elderberries grow.  Then in the fall, I watch for the berries to turn from green to red to dark purple.  

Birds love elderberries as much as I do and they often win, eating the berries before they are fully ripe.  But sometimes you come upon a patch at the perfect moment and find your winter's supply all at once.

Early this summer I noticed a stand of elderberries on a road that I take to work.  They were easy to see with the big white blossoms, but then I quit noticing them as the blooms faded and the summer worn on.  

Last week, after seeing dark berries, I decided to stop after work.  I pulled on to a side street, grabbed the tote I use for schlepping my lunch back and forth to work, and "took a walk".

I have to admit that a dress and slip on sandals are NOT elderberry harvesting garb.  I had to avoid the stinging nettles as I made my way through tall grass and weeds to the bush.  I picked a few umbels of berries, then glanced to my right and saw a huge stand of elderberries with ripe berries practically dripping from the branches.

Ripe berries ready to pick.

I filled my bag and then made my way back to my car, feeling excited (and maybe a bit giddy) that I had a gift from nature that could keep our family healthy over the long Minnesota winter.

My elderberry haul.

Why the elderberry excitement?  Elderberries have anti-viral properties that can prevent the replication of viruses.  So instead of getting a flu shot that is formulated to protect us from the flu strains anticipated to be present each year, we get protection from any virus that we encounter.

I love the idea of boosting our immune system to empower our body's ability to fight off illness, rather than just trying to avoid exposure - which is impossible for most everyone.

Elderberries can be used in many ways as they are both food and medicine, as long as they are cooked.  My favorite is to make a delicious elderberry syrup with honey. Then each day I treat myself to one (or maybe two or three) delicious spoonful(s).  How fun that something so yummy can also be so good for us!

Last year's elderberry syrup - four different recipes.  All delicious.

Want to learn more?  Click on these links for details and recipes;

Elderberry - Sambucus Nigra & Sambucus Canadensis

Elderberry Syrup

Elderberry Juice

Protection During the Cold and Flu Season

The Healing Power of Honey

If foraging for berries is not your idea of fun, you can plant and grow cultivated varieties.  

Several years ago I purchased Adams, Johns, and Nova varieties online from Rain Tree Nursery.  These varieties are hardy in zone 4.  

Tall elderberry bushes blown over by the wind.

This year the branches grew tall with the frequent rains and then toppled over during a summer storm.  I lost a few branches, but the survivors put up large clusters of big berries.  Elder, both wild and cultivated have weak branches that easily break.

Elderberries are cultivated, in part, to have larger berries than their wild cousins.  They also bloom far later into the summer then the wild berries.  Elder flowers have medicinal value as well, so if the blooms form too late in the season to mature into berries, you can pick and dry them.

Ripe elderberries.

Fall elder flowers can be picked and dried for winter use.

Whether you forage for wild berries or grow your own, regular consumption of elderberries (especially during the winter months) will enhance your health.

Do you have elderberry tips to share?

Please note: The objective of this blog is to raise awareness of alternative ways to achieve wellness and to empower you to take an active role in your health decisions.  To accomplish this, you will need to explore these subjects in greater depth and then determine what makes sense for your life.  My hope is that this information will inspire you to start your own search into ways to make your life happier, healthier and more fulfilling.