Elderberry Syrup - Day 186 - Daily Haiku, with more about elderberries and syrup
Cluster of ripe elderberries ready to strip
Elderberry syrup --
Strong antiviral that tastes
Amazingly good
I decided to check on the elderberry bush next to our waterfalls today, and found that they were nearly all ripe, so set about harvesting some to make elderberry syrup.
On this particular cluster all the berries had ripened, but on many there were still green berries, and I typically don't use the green berries in making syrup.
I also don't harvest all the berries from any one bush, and didn't even when I was harvesting my elderberries in my back yard in Florida, as I strongly believe in leaving some for wildlife. And, on public ground such as this roadside, I like to leave some for the next person, should anyone come along.
Elderberry cluster, already stripped, leaving green berries
From this batch I got roughly half a cup of ripe elderberries, or about a fourth the amount I would like to have for making syrup.
Tomorrow I will harvest the field I referenced in my last post on elderberries, and if all goes well, perhaps I'll have enough to make some elderberry wine as well.
This is one of my favorite medicinal plants in the world - they don't taste like much fresh from the bush, mildly sweet with just a hint of flavor, but when cooked or extracted they develop a flavor that is truly extraordinary, at least to my tastes.
I saved seed from a number of the crushed berries, and those I ate, and will be planting them when I get home. I'll be making the syrup hopefully in a few days, and when I do, I'll post about that and give my recipe.
Elderberry seeds ready to plant
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art and flair courtesy of @PegasusPhysics
Point noted from this guide, really appreciate it.
You're welcome! I'm glad you found it valuable.
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Love elderberries. They grow really well from cuttings. X
Great and clean practice: to leave part of harvest for wildlife! I do the same)) We should always be aware of what we leave after ourselves)
Yeah, it was funny, a few years back I was enroute to a meeting of the Cumberland Mycology Society and got lost on the way.
In the end, I drove way the heck out of my way, in order to find a lone oak tree with a huge hen of the woods mushroom growing from its base.
I took about a third of it, since I thought it likely that a lot of others were waiting to harvest it, and was surprised when the other members . . . and my own husband . . . thought I was a fool for not taking it all.
Personally, I like using common courtesy, even in the woods. ;-)
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I've always wanted to try elderberries!
You are such a noble person to have thought of others, and wildlife especially.
I certainly wouldn't have thought in that direction. I simply would have harvested all and leave nothing behind like a pirate.
Thanks for the lesson you just taught me.
Me too. All mine. Mine..😂
Yeah, my husband keeps telling me that I think more of others than I do myself, but I know how much our own doves love elderberries, and there are still lots of baby birds out there.
And I know how I would feel if I went to that field and found no elderberries left, and I don't want to do that to anyone. Do unto others, etc.
My grandmother always taught us never to take all of any one plant when we were collecting in the wild. It's better for the environment and the ecosystem too. ;-)
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Yeah, I'm with you in appreciating the elderberries. Great medicine in them. They don't seem to grow here in Texas, unfortunately. We've got ample juniper berries, but they're no match for the flavor and potency of elderberries.
Yeah, I love juniper berries as well, and they were a favorite of my mom's, but elderberries are in a class by themselves, especially when it comes to medicinal value.
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Actually, @cabelindsay, you should be able to grow them in Texas, as I had a huge bush that did well and produced heavily in Largo, Florida, which has roughly the same climate as Houston.
And they also do great here in Tennessee, and I'm in Zone 7a here, versus the 9b I had in Florida. It might be worth your while to experiment with them.
Cool yeah, I'll have to give it a try. I've also heard that goji berries can grow well here, so I'm eager to grow those too. Thanks for your encouragement.
My kids and I love Elderberry cordial, I'm assuming that they are the same as this, although probably fresh syrup is more potent and tastier!
Elderberry cordial is often made from the flowers rather than the ripe berries, or at least that's the recipe I have.
But yes, both are lovely, and potent medicinally, though the berries have more antiviral properties.
Oh, thanks! I didn't know that!