Elderberry

[ceara]

After learning a bit about Elderberry, I have just got to have a few!

The flowers can be used in baking, and the berries can be used in herbal homemade medicines. I've heard about Elderberry wine as well.

Does anyone know where I can get some shipped to me?

The only place I found in Canada is in Nova Scotia and they only sell like on a roadside type stand, according to their website.

Or possibly if anyone has it, I read that hardwood cuttings are easy to grow.

According to

www.planthardiness.gc.ca/ph_spp_intro.pl?lang=en&speciesid=1001103

My location is in the range where Sambucus canadensis grows wild. But I haven't the foggiest idea where to look for it.

[iva]

In our climate we have a similar plant growing wild, I don't know if it is the same or not, it is called Sambucus nigra, and the fruits are also edible although they don't really taste good. They are used mostly for making wine, juice or jam, but the flowers can be dried and make a wonderful tea. They can also be added to pancake dough and baked.

If you can buy dried fruits anywhere, sow the seeds inside and you will have a mature (flowers and fruits) plant in about two to three years. That is what I did, my plant is now in its fourth year and already looks great. I didn't let it to grow into a bush, but pruned it to one main stem, so now I have a great looking tree. I'll post pictures later...

[iva]

Ok, here are some pics of the three year old seedling...




The size of a single flower:

[ceara]

That is really beautiful and I'm sure it smells heavenly.

I don't think there is much of a difference in Sambucus niger compared to Sambucus canadensis. Both are used similarly from what I can gather.

Not likely to be able to buy dried fruits locally here, for this is a very small town and they don't ship in anything unless it is either popular or necessary. We almost always have to resort to ordering through the internet or trade with others.

And honestly I don't want to wait 4 years for it to bloom and set fruit from seed. :-)

I have been collecting various medicinal plants the past few years and would like to have this in my "nature's medicine cabinet" collection.

Here are 2 recipes that use Elderflowers

Throat Lozenges

10-15 fresh elderflower heads
12 eucalyptus leaves
2 tbsp linseed
3 tsp dried elderberries
1 cup Gum Arabic
2 cups icing Sugar
4 cups hot water

1. 1. Firstly, put about 10-15 elderflower heads into 3 cups of freshly boiled water to create a basic infusion. Add 2 tbsp of linseed and 12 eucalyptus leaves and leave for about an hour. It's ready when the pure watery liquid starts to have a similar consistency to egg white.
2. 2. Whilst it's infusing, use a pestle and mortar to break up a cup of Gum Arabic into the smallest pieces you can - this is so it dissolves as easily as possible. Into that add 3 tsp of dried elderberries and crush.
3. 3. Next, add the Gum Arabic mixture into a cup of hot water. Stir using a spoon until the granules of gum have turned into a thick, treacly jam-like consistency.
4. 4. Strain the infusion, and add a cup and a half of it to the Gum Arabic mixture. Next, add 2 cups of icing sugar and mix; the sugar acts as a preservative and gives it body.
5. 5. Place it on a low heat and stir continuously for about half an hour until it gets to a really thick, syrup-like consistency and starts to come away from the sides of the pan. You can also test by pouring it with the spoon and touching it; if it doesn't stick to your finger it's ready, but do be careful as it could be hot.
6. 6. Finally pour onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and leave to set. When it's hard it's just a case of bashing it until you get the right size pieces!


STORAGE: Coat the lozenges with icing sugar to stop them sticking together, and to take out some of the moisture.

VARIATION: If you want to make a cough syrup instead of lozenges, just add half the amount of sugar.

Marshmallow and liquorice cough syrup

If using dried marshmallow root:
4 tbsp dried marshmallow root, chopped roughly
2 dried liquorice roots, broken up into small pieces
3 heads/bunches fresh elderberries
1 tsp cloves
Peel of 1 mandarin
1 tsp aniseed seeds
1 sprig fresh eucalyptus leaves (about 8)
500 ml water
100 ml honey
Juice of 1 lime
5 tbsp glycerine

If using fresh marshmallow root:
8 tbsp fresh marshmallow root, chopped roughly
4 dried liquorice roots, broken up into small pieces
Other ingredients as above

1. 1. Put the marshmallow, liquorice, elderberries, cloves, mandarin peel, aniseed and eucalyptus leaves into a pan with the water. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by one-fifth. Remove the liquorice and eucalyptus leaves and discard.
2. 2. Blend the mixture in a liquidizer until smooth. Pour back into the pan and add the honey, lime juice and glycerine, then stir and simmer for 2 minutes.
3. 3. Pour into sterilized, clear 250 ml bottles.


USE: Take 2 tbsp, 3 times a day for no more than 5 days.

STORAGE: Keep refrigerated. Use within 2 weeks.

Recipes are from James Wong, who's doing a series of episodes on BBC called "Grow Your Own Drugs." (They could have picked a better title! *laughs*) And I think a book is published with the same title.

[iva]

Ceara, it will take just as long for a cutting to bloom and fruit, I know this from my neighbor's experience. She rooted a cutting the same year I planted the seeds and we had the same result: some flowers in the second year and many more in the third. I am looking forward to this seasons flowers as I pruned the plant in a way Germans do it in their plantations (commercial growing for tea)...

[flowerpower]

I have maybe 6 elderberry trees on my property. I don't think any of them were intentionally planted. All are in terrible spots. So I guess some animal was gardening. I'll have to check out that link about the hardwood cuttings. I wouldn't mind having a few more around. But if you want the berries, you'll have to use bird netting. They go quick. lol

[canadamike]

Ceara, you just take a stroll on back roads, they flower after the apples, you will see loads of high bushes at the edge of forests or in ditches with large FLAT flower heads, a bit like Queen Ann's Lace. No mistakes possible, it's elderberries.

And Sambucus canadensis are very good to eat.

[ceara]

Yeah I will be on the lookout for it this year for sure.

Been asking others to look at the pictures and tell me if they ever saw it growing and no one seems to remember. How do the flowers smell? No fragrance, light or heavy?

Heya Mike have you heard people in Quebec talk about a Partridge berry?

Or something phonetically called Pem - in - awe (I have absolutely no idea how it is spelled.) They say these berries taste wonderful in a jam but stink horribly when being cooked in the kitchen.

All these country common names and no one knows genome/species. I'm trying to get all the wild berries and such identified and not making much progress.

They also talk about var gum trees. (var is pronounced like far but with a V) What the heck is a var gum tree? A type of Spruce? It's the one with the bubbles on the bark that are popped and collected and sold to make cough syrup or something. Very very sticky resin, almost impossible to remove from skin and clothes, but very aromatic and nice smelling in my opinion anyway.

[canadamike]

The gum tree is ABIES BALSAMICA, balsam fir in english, or SAPIN in french. As for the name you suggest, it has to be very regional. My knowledge of english language might be so so , but I am very much used to get phonecalls for the meaning of unknown words in french, much less so since people use the net, but I have no clue as what you mean, this must be a very very regional term, even local, or else you got it wrong

Partridge berry is PEMBINA , VIBURNUM TRILOBUM. It is a wild bushy tree, the fruits have a large seed, a bit flatish, and they taste very sour. However, and I know from experience as I have harvested them quite often , once cooked , with the addition of some sugar, it is absolutely impossible to differenciate pembina gelly from cranberry gelly. It is also nicknamed cranberry tree.

The thing is you only can get gelly, no fruit flesh like in gellied cranberries.

If ever you can differanciate the two gellies, I will walk to Gaspé Bay ( 1000 km) and lick your toes until you get an orgasm.

I suggest you plan on your husband taking care of it, it will never happen

[canadamike]

Oh!And by the way, potato mailing time is coming soon. Plan for lots of other stuff. Christmas in spring kind o' thing...

[ceara]

HAHAHAHAHAHA that's hilarious! I only let my dog lick my feet and feel nothing close to orgasm from it. lol But I bet I could tell the difference between cranberry and pembina. I'm a cranberry lover for sure.

No seriously, they call it Var gum tree. I've asked many people and even how is it spelled, in case I didn't understand the local accent. But they insist on the word Var. *shrugs* This coming from people who pronounce fork like "fark" or third like "turd."

Thanks for the explanation of pembina. Yay! Now I have a proper term to research. Never imagined it would be a Viburnum.

Thank you so much!

[canadamike]

Without any joke, I don't think it is reasonably possible that somebody can differentiate them. Maybe once, there is a 50/50 chance to win, but if you do it 10 times, you'll end up close to 5 on each side, trying to figure out which is which.

I have even served it to large crowds with turkey during the Christmas holidays and NOBODY ever knew.

[ceara]

I've been told it stinks when being cooked. Do you find that?

Was doing some reading after getting the proper Latin names from you and only one website mentioned something about picking before a frost to avoid a certain odor.

Yay! TPS! Can't wait!

[sammyqc]

I just posted a message, cause I couldn't find this thread, so of course now I find it.
I have elderberries in my yard, if you want some cuttings. They are very fast growers, I find, and very hardy. Nothing kills them!!!! Even my husband's pruning job, or the cats using it as a nail sharpener. It is their favorite wood to scratch on, they tear right through the bark to the very inside.

[ceara]

I won't say no to that! But I would like to wait a bit and see if I can find some growing wild in the area first. If I do not have any luck, I will let you know. When do yours bloom? Your area should be about a month ahead of us weather-wise.

Are your elderberries the dark color or the red?

Thanks to the info from canadamike I have other species to find and tag also this year.