elderberry, elderflower, and everything in between
elderberry FAQ: what they are, what they’re good for
I've answered a few of the more common questions here, but feel free to jump in with more info if you have it!
What’s an elderberry?
Elderberries are small, dark berries that grow in clusters on elder trees (also called elderberry bushes). Elderberry bushes are a hardy plant growing native in many climates, often in the moist soil along roadsides and streams. They’re fast-growing and typically grow quite large and full, with compound leaves and tightly clustered bunches of tiny white flowers in late spring, followed by clusters of berries in late summer. The berries are a favorite of wildlife (especially birds) and are said to have many health benefits for humans too.
You can find a page of good photos here.
What are the different kinds of elderberry?
There are many different varieties of elderberry bushes, but I’ll focus here on the most common.
The European Elder, or Sambucus nigra (also called Black Elder or Common Elder), is found throughout warmer parts of Europe and North America. The berries are black to dark blue, and it’s the type of elderberry most frequently used in recipes and retail extracts and syrups.
The American Elder, or Sambucus canadensis (also called Sweet Elder), is also used in recipes and said to be slightly sweeter than the Sambucus nigra variety. It’s found in many climates, including most of North America east of the Rocky Mountains. Depending on who you ask, the canadensis is technically a sub-set of the nigra variety, but nurseries tend to list them as a separate species, so best to think of it as its own species for the purposes of choosing which types to plant together.
The red-berried elder, or Sambucus racemosa, grows throughout the cooler parts of North America, but the berries, when ripe, are a bright red color. According to some sources, it is poisonous unless carefully seeded and cooked, but I’ve seen many more accounts that say the red elderberry contains toxins regardless of what’s done with it. So without being a horticulturalist or a doctor, my advice for anyone just starting would be to stick with blue, black or dark purple elderberries, and leave the reds alone.
What parts of the plant can I use?
The white flowers of the elderberry bush have been used in many things; pressed into tonics, brewed into wines and champagne, lightly battered and fried into fritters, or stirred into muffin or sponge cake mix for a light, sweet flavor.
The ripe berries, cleaned and cooked, can be made into many things: extracts, syrups, pies, jams, or used as garnish, dye or flavoring. The leaves, twigs, stems, roots and unripe berries of all elderberry plants are not edible, and contain toxins that can make a person quite sick. Ripe berries and flowers only!
Do elderberries have seeds?
Elderberries have tiny seeds that tend to stay crunchy even after cooking. These seeds can result in a slightly gritty taste when whole berries are used in recipes, but they are edible and don’t need to be removed before cooking or eating. (For this reason, many people like to cook elderberries in conjunction with other fruits, like apples or pears, to produce a milder flavor and smoother texture).
Can I eat the berries raw?
Some say that as long as they’re ripe you can eat them uncooked in small quantities, but most sources maintain that berries need to be cooked to fully remove all the toxins. (In addition, elderberries are really quite bitter until they’ve been sweetened with sugar or honey.) Again, as the non-doctor giving advice, I’d err on the side of caution and make sure your elderberries are washed and cooked. On the plus side, I’m collecting quite a few elderberry recipes here, so there should be no shortage of ways to cook them.
Are elderberries good for you?
Science answers this with a hesitant “we think so,” but traditional use and plenty of newer studies on this say a resounding YES! Elderberries contain potassium and large amounts of vitamin C, and have been proven in quite a few recent studies to shorten the duration of cold and flu symptoms, as well as strengthen the immune system.
Elderberries are also a good source of anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants which are responsible for giving many red and purple fruits their color.
What’s an elderberry?
Elderberries are small, dark berries that grow in clusters on elder trees (also called elderberry bushes). Elderberry bushes are a hardy plant growing native in many climates, often in the moist soil along roadsides and streams. They’re fast-growing and typically grow quite large and full, with compound leaves and tightly clustered bunches of tiny white flowers in late spring, followed by clusters of berries in late summer. The berries are a favorite of wildlife (especially birds) and are said to have many health benefits for humans too.
You can find a page of good photos here.
What are the different kinds of elderberry?
There are many different varieties of elderberry bushes, but I’ll focus here on the most common.
The European Elder, or Sambucus nigra (also called Black Elder or Common Elder), is found throughout warmer parts of Europe and North America. The berries are black to dark blue, and it’s the type of elderberry most frequently used in recipes and retail extracts and syrups.
The American Elder, or Sambucus canadensis (also called Sweet Elder), is also used in recipes and said to be slightly sweeter than the Sambucus nigra variety. It’s found in many climates, including most of North America east of the Rocky Mountains. Depending on who you ask, the canadensis is technically a sub-set of the nigra variety, but nurseries tend to list them as a separate species, so best to think of it as its own species for the purposes of choosing which types to plant together.
The red-berried elder, or Sambucus racemosa, grows throughout the cooler parts of North America, but the berries, when ripe, are a bright red color. According to some sources, it is poisonous unless carefully seeded and cooked, but I’ve seen many more accounts that say the red elderberry contains toxins regardless of what’s done with it. So without being a horticulturalist or a doctor, my advice for anyone just starting would be to stick with blue, black or dark purple elderberries, and leave the reds alone.
What parts of the plant can I use?
The white flowers of the elderberry bush have been used in many things; pressed into tonics, brewed into wines and champagne, lightly battered and fried into fritters, or stirred into muffin or sponge cake mix for a light, sweet flavor.
The ripe berries, cleaned and cooked, can be made into many things: extracts, syrups, pies, jams, or used as garnish, dye or flavoring. The leaves, twigs, stems, roots and unripe berries of all elderberry plants are not edible, and contain toxins that can make a person quite sick. Ripe berries and flowers only!
Do elderberries have seeds?
Elderberries have tiny seeds that tend to stay crunchy even after cooking. These seeds can result in a slightly gritty taste when whole berries are used in recipes, but they are edible and don’t need to be removed before cooking or eating. (For this reason, many people like to cook elderberries in conjunction with other fruits, like apples or pears, to produce a milder flavor and smoother texture).
Can I eat the berries raw?
Some say that as long as they’re ripe you can eat them uncooked in small quantities, but most sources maintain that berries need to be cooked to fully remove all the toxins. (In addition, elderberries are really quite bitter until they’ve been sweetened with sugar or honey.) Again, as the non-doctor giving advice, I’d err on the side of caution and make sure your elderberries are washed and cooked. On the plus side, I’m collecting quite a few elderberry recipes here, so there should be no shortage of ways to cook them.
Are elderberries good for you?
Science answers this with a hesitant “we think so,” but traditional use and plenty of newer studies on this say a resounding YES! Elderberries contain potassium and large amounts of vitamin C, and have been proven in quite a few recent studies to shorten the duration of cold and flu symptoms, as well as strengthen the immune system.
Elderberries are also a good source of anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants which are responsible for giving many red and purple fruits their color.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by cathi on -
Do elderberries do best in morning sun and afternoon shade or full sun? I live in USDA zone 7b. The summers are short and typically not real hot. Temperatures will hit the upper 80's and low 90's in late July/August occasionally.
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Permalink Reply by Amy Boyd on
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What I've seen written is that they prefer full sun to partial shade, but I think what's most important is the moist, but well-drained soil. The bushes I see here in Texas are freaking HUGE and look as happy as they can be, in lots of sun, and it gets easily to 100+ during the summer... the soil seems to be the determining factor in where they grow best.
cathi said:Do elderberries do best in morning sun and afternoon shade or full sun? I live in USDA zone 7b. The summers are short and typically not real hot. Temperatures will hit the upper 80's and low 90's in late July/August occasionally.
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Permalink Reply by Kacey Johnston on -
I have had this bush growing in my yard for a few years now. I have always thought it was an Elderberry. I was wondering if there are any bushes that look like Elderberries?
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Permalink Reply by Casey on
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From EatTheWeeds.Com, Green Dean
" Most agree that they do need to be cooked if you are going to eat more than just a few out of hand. That’s because they have a small amount of cyanide producing glycosides, which are released upon digestion, but so do loquats.
Professor Julia Morton, who was the first, middle and last word about poisonous plants in warm climates, especially Florida, says the fully ripe black berries are not toxic and you can eat as many as you like. She adds, though, that their flavor is moderated by drying. And in fact, I have a large jar of dried elderberries and sprinkle them on and in many things when cooking. Boiling or baking certainly takes care of any "toxic" issue as does drying raw berries. "
Here is the link to the complete information from a constant source of knowledge and guidance, Green Dean.
www.EatTheWeeds.Com/EatTheWeeds.com/Entries/1945/12/14_Elderberries...">http://www.eattheweeds.com/www.EatTheWeeds.Com/EatTheWeeds.com/Entries/1945/12/14_Elderberries...
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Permalink Reply by martha l bockrath on
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hi, I have bushes that I always thought were elderberries, but the discriptions above don't have a pit in the berry-my berries have a pit, not small seeds--can you tell me if there is a varity with one larger pit as opposed to small seeds?
many thanks.
marty
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Permalink Reply by JerseyGirl on
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Hi. I was given some elderberries and I want to make jelly (I have about 7.5 lbs). I had gotten them off of the large stems but ran out of time so I froze them. However, there are still a lot of small stems attached. When I defrost them, can I put them through a Foley Food Mill to remove the small stems or will that release more toxins from the stems. I am new to Elderberries. But....I must share that my family does take Sambucol and it knocks colds out of you in a day! Amazing stuff. Maybe I will make a tonic too! Any recipes anyone. :-) Thanks so much for your time.
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Permalink Reply by k pick on
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I have elderberry bushes have had for 25 years they like a lot of water but should be just fine in the cooler area.
cathi said:Do elderberries do best in morning sun and afternoon shade or full sun? I live in USDA zone 7b. The summers are short and typically not real hot. Temperatures will hit the upper 80's and low 90's in late July/August occasionally.
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Permalink Reply by DBK on
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Hi, I went out looking for wild elderberries today. I have never used elderberries before but I have been interested in them. For some reason I didn't think they would grow around here, but a few days ago someone told me where I could find some. There were several kinds of berry bushes where I went but I wanted to make sure I had elderberries. I was wondering if you could identify them, here is a picture.
Sorry the picture is so big. I thought it would come out smaller.
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Permalink Reply by k pick on
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those are elderberries, wild is always better then home grown, but I have a large bush that produces loads year in and year out.
DBK said:Hi, I went out looking for wild elderberries today. I have never used elderberries before but I have been interested in them. For some reason I didn't think they would grow around here, but a few days ago someone told me where I could find some. There were several kinds of berry bushes where I went but I wanted to make sure I had elderberries. I was wondering if you could identify them, here is a picture.
Sorry the picture is so big. I thought it would come out smaller.
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Permalink Reply by k pick on
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mine are on the east side of my home so they get all day sun till abut 4pm then shade. it seems to do very well. in zone 5 utah.
k pick said:I have elderberry bushes have had for 25 years they like a lot of water but should be just fine in the cooler area.
cathi said:Do elderberries do best in morning sun and afternoon shade or full sun? I live in USDA zone 7b. The summers are short and typically not real hot. Temperatures will hit the upper 80's and low 90's in late July/August occasionally.
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Permalink Reply by chris fatherheart on
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martha l bockrath said:hi, I have bushes that I always thought were elderberries, but the discriptions above don't have a pit in the berry-my berries have a pit, not small seeds--can you tell me if there is a varity with one larger pit as opposed to small seeds?
many thanks.
marty
could it be a Sloe?
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Permalink Reply by k pick on
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No they do not have pits, but the chokecherries do. at what time of the summer do the berries you have ripen? are they black or dark red? chokecherries are red when ripe and grow in bunches hanging from one stem, elderberries have many little stems from a little bit bigger stems then from a bit bigger stem.
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