Elderberries

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If you are one of the five readers of this blog, you will probably have noticed that I really like the Elder tree, which is why I have already dedicated one post to it, and another to its flowers. Now is the turn of the berries, which around here are ready for harvest in late summer. Even though we went searching for elderberries in early August, even now in mid-September it's still possible to find trees with berries that could still be picked.  

Just as it was lovely to see and smell the white flowers in May, the sight of the Elder trees full of purple berries is also beautiful. 

One of our neighbor Elder trees back in August.

I already mentioned the medicinal properties of Elder (Sambucus nigra) in my first post. I'll just add that most of the scientific documents (such as monographs) focus on the flowers, and their use and sale as a herbal remedy to treat cold and flu symptoms is accepted and authorized. The berries, however, have not been officially validated as a medicinal preparation by an authority such as the German Commission E. Nevertheless, it is widely acknowledged that the berries are rich in vitamin C, and they also contain other vitamins and antioxidants. One thing to keep in mind is that they should not be eaten unripe, and that the ripe berries should be cooked before consuming them, in order to remove substances that can be mildly toxic.

The harvest.

As I mentioned above, this summer we went searching for elderberries, and were not disappointed.  The berries ripened much earlier than usual, and the trees were full,. While the work of selecting them (to discard unripe or bad berries) can be a bit tedious, it is doable, especially when sitting outside on a nice sunny afternoon and with other people helping. The abundant harvest allowed me to produce a few jars of jelly and about 2+ liters of syrup, so we'll hopefully enjoy the taste and health benefits of the elderberries until the winter (and maybe avoid getting the common cold ;).

Ready for cooking.