Elderberries: An Underutilized Resource

**Underutilized by us, because unless you hustle, the birds will get them all.

My experience is that few folks have actually tasted our native wild elderberry, Sambucus canadensis, and the purpose of today’s note is to encourage you to try it. In most years it flowers by the fourth of July and the fruit ripens about when school begins – and much of the fruit ripens at about the same time. So if you have reserved a little thicket, it is easy to venture out once and gather as much as you want. This species favors valley bottoms and road ditches and it is easy to spot the large flat white panicles when they are in bloom.

A good way to harvest the berries is to cut off entire panicles, and haul them home in a large basket. To obtain just a small amount, the little blue-black berries can be just plucked from the stems by hand. For large quantities, I place a piece of quarter-inch hardware cloth, stretched on a wood frame, atop my wheelbarrow. Handfuls of panicles are tossed onto the screen, the ripe berries are washed through with the garden hose and the empty panicles are discarded. Ripe berries sink, while the green ones, the bugs, and the bits of leaves all float and depart with the overflow. When half full of berries, tilt the wheelbarrow slowly and pour off the water, leaving clean, washed berries. They freeze well, and I used to also “can” them in quart jars.

You can make elderberry wine, jelly, pancakes, tarts, oatmeal cookies, etc, but my favorite is elderberry pie. I have eaten it since Mom and Dad took us kids to our favorite local wetland near Niagara Falls to help gather berries. My favorite daughter still bakes me one, with her wonderful lard crust, for Father’s Day.

Our basic recipe is to fill a 9-inch pastry shell with about 2.5 cups of clean berries. Separately, mix about a half cup of sugar, a dash of lemon juice, and a few tablespoons of flour. Sprinkle this mix over the berries and cover with a top crust. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes, then turn down to 350° for a half hour.

Elderberries have an intense flavor, perhaps more than you will like. For a more mellow version, build up the pie in layers, alternating with sliced apples, which will turn a pretty purple.

Assuming your cardiologist approves, try a scoop of vanilla ice-cream on a slice of warm elderberry pie fresh from the oven, but don’t say I didn’t warn you that it might be addictive. On a healthier note, elderberries are loaded with antioxidants, more than most berries, and are quite good for you. So scout out a little elderberry thicket now, while they are still blooming, and get your share of elderberries around Labor Day! Or find a spot in your yard for a couple bushes so you can keep an eye on ripeness and pick them before the birds eat them. They like a wetter soil and are a good candidate for a downspout raingarden.