On Friday evening we harvested elderberries off the back hillside.
Why did it feel like such a triumph? Because that elderberry tree is on the side of the mountain with berries far out of reach. Every year we gaze up at the beautiful, medicinal berries longingly. They hang near our garage roof. Even if you climbed up a ladder to the garage roof, you still couldn’t reach them.
I kept looking at them last week. I knew they were perfectly ripe and it was prime time for harvesting them.
I wanted those berries. I wondered… And then I had an idea! What if we used the tool we got for trimming our fruit trees? It’s basically a clipper at the end of a long pole. (You pull a long rope to close the clippers.) Standing on the garage roof, the clippers were able to reach the berries and trim them right off the tree. So the plant got a nice little pruning as well. The berries were squishy in our hands and perfectly ripe. We harvested the elderberries as the last of the light was shining through the forest, then we went inside for our Friday night feeling content with our berry success.
The next morning we headed outside in the autumn sunshine and plucked the berries off their twigs, into a large bowl.
We were low on honey, so rather than making elderberry syrup (our favorite), we decided to freeze the berries until we get more honey.
Why are elderberries so wonderful?
Here is what Natasha Campbell-McBride writes about elderberries
in her book ‘Gut and Psychology Syndrome’:
“Black elderberry is a small tree, which grows pretty much everywhere from cold to very warm climates. In spring it bears clusters of tiny whitish flowers, which at the end of summer turn into small juicy black berries. Medicinal properties of this plant have been appreciated for centuries. Its flowers, berries, leaves and bark were traditionally used for treating colds, pneumonia, flu, sore throat, hay fever, wounds, eye infections and many other ailments. In England the berries are still used for making elderberry wine, in Scandinavia the flowers are used for making elderflower cordial. Black elderberry has strong immune-stimulating properties and it is one of the most powerful anti-viral remedies known to man.
You do not need to be an experienced herbalist to use this plant. Many people have this tree in their gardens as it is quite decorative. At the end of summer collect clusters of berries, a small bucket would be enough. Make sure that you collect ripe berries- ripe berries are very black and squashy. At home separate the berries from their twigs using a fork. Put the berries into small plastic bags or small containers and freeze them. From the end of summer / beginning of autumn make it your bedtime routine to take 1-2 tablespoons of berries out of the freezer and leave them at room temperature to defrost over night. In the morning juice them together with pineapple, carrot or any other fruit and vegetables you planned to use. If you do it every day or every other day throughout the cold season your family will not have any colds. A small amount of 1-2 tablespoons of berries is enough for a family of four. If you are juicing just for one person, then one teaspoon is enough. Apart from juicing you can add elderberries into your cakes.
You can also collect flowers in spring and freeze them. During the winter they make a very pleasant aromatic tea or you can just crush them, while frozen, with your hand and add them to your salads. The flowers also have strong immune-stimulating properties. Use them as a tea to remedy colds, flu, and fever. The same tea can be used topically on wounds and grazes, sunburn, frostbites and sore eyes. It is also a traditional remedy for hay fever.
I can just hear somebody saying “I am a very busy person and do not have time to collect berries and flowers!” But even the busiest person has got weekends. Isn’t it a pleasure to spend a day with your family out in the country, when you collect elderberries? When you come home in the evening and slump on front of the TV, you can separate the berries from their twigs with a fork and put them into small freezer bags, while watching your favourite programme. When the program is finished, you can put the bags into your freezer. Not that much effort for having a winter supply of a wonderful immune-stimulating remedy. And it will cost you absolutely nothing!”
In Rosemary Gladstar’s ‘Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health’, she writes:
“Benefits: Elder flower syrup is Europe’s most esteemed formula for colds, flus, and upper respiratory infections. Both the flowers and the berries are powerful diaphoretics; by inducing sweating, they reduce fevers. Elder also has immune-enhancing properties and is especially effective when combined with echinacea.
Suggested uses: There are several varieties of elder; use the variety that produces blue berries. Elderberries make some of the best syrups and wines you’ll ever taste. The flowers are often used in teas to treat fever and are the main ingredient in elder flower water, a traditional cosmetic wash. Elder flowers are also edible; every summer, I collect the large, flat clusters and make a few elder flower fritters as a treat. They are delicious served with elderberry jam, itself another magnificent method for enjoying this plant’s good medicine.”
.
Over the years Jeff has made elderberry wine and elder flower pancakes. After making elderberry syrup with honey last fall, that’s our new favorite way of consuming elderberries. Oh, I almost forgot (Jeff reminded me), we love elderberries in our applesauce too.
Are you familiar with elderberries? If so, then this is a reminder for you about how wonderful they are. Are elderberries new to you? Then perhaps reading this will inspire you to welcome these magical berries into your life.
.
What are your favorite ways to enjoy elderberries?
Are you familiar with elderberries? If so, then this is a reminder for you about how wonderful they are. Are elderberries new to you? Then perhaps reading this will inspire you to welcome these magical berries into your life.
.
What are your favorite ways to enjoy elderberries?
Leave a Reply