Arsenic, Old Lace and Elderberry Wine

By Karen Jones (karri_sue) May 6, 2008

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In the classic Arsenic and Old Lace, Aunt Abby and Aunt Martha poisoned lonely old bachelors with their concotion of spiked elderberry wine. Let's talk about some less lethal uses for the elderberry shrub.

I can't say much about elderberry wine as I haven't tried it, but I have used the lovely flowers that this shrub provides.  A hardy, deciduous shrub or tree, the American variety grows to 12'.  It grows in most zones and tolerates part shade well, even though it prefers full sun.  Elderberry grows wild where I live in east San Diego County.  Depending on your zone, it blooms in spring to early summer.  The flowers have a light, sweet honey-like scent. The flowers and berries are both useful in many applications.

           Elderberry ready to bloom

Elderberry flowers have a skin softening quality.  To use in a bath, place dried flowers in a muslin bag, either alone or mixed with other herbs.  Toss the bag into the tub as the hot water is running and allow the bag of herbs to 'brew' as the water cools to a comfortable temperature.  The flowers are also good for the hair as a rinse and are said to lighten freckles.

In the fall my elderberry bush is full of berries and the birds love them.  A co-worker told me that birds seem to be intoxicated after eating berries from his shrub.  I don't know if that is possible, but it makes a good story!  Perhaps the birds were the inspiration for the line "Feeling fine on elderberry wine" in Elton John's song.  If the birds leave me any berries in the fall, I plan to make jelly, as elderberries are high in vitamin C.  The following recipe is the one I will use.                        

Elderberry Jelly

3 c prepared elderberry juice

1/4 c lemon juice

1 pk sure gel (regular)

4 1/2 c sugar

Follow package instructions for making cooked and canned jelly.  (Bringing juice and pectin to boil, then adding sugar, boiling hard one minute, jarring up and processing in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes for half-pint jars.)  Looks like about five 8 ounce jars jelly.

You can find this recipe as well as recipes for fritters, wine, vinegars and even elderberry catsup at www.justberryrecipes.com.

If you have access to an elderberry, I hope you will try at least one of the recipes.  They all sound good to me except for the catsup; that just doesn't seem right!

Thanks to poppysue for the use of her picture of the berries.

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Subject: Poke Berry WINE recipe?

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Posted by gulie (from Kimmell, IN) on September 1, 2008 at 2:00 PM:

I'm DESPERATE to have a recipe for pokeberry wine. I have a bad hip and really am fighting against having a hip replacement operation. Can/Will anyone provide me with a recipe? I have WONDERFUL pokeberry bushes growing wild here on my property in Indiana. Any help would be appreciated. GREATLY. Thanks MUCH!

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Posted by karri_sue (from Jacumba, CA) on May 7, 2008 at 12:00 AM:

I really can't imagine what elderberry catsup would taste like, can you? It just doesn't seem right to use the same fruit in jelly, wine and catsup! Anyway, thanks for taking time to comment.
Karen

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Posted by Pagancat (from (Sheryl) Gainesboro, TN) on May 6, 2008 at 7:50 AM:

I just received 2 'Black Lace' Elderberry tree/ shrubs that I had ordered last fall - they're too small to pick the leaves off of, and no berries yet, but this fall the birds had best move over!

Thanks for the good info!

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Posted by cedarnest (from Northeast, NE) on May 6, 2008 at 11:19 PM:

Excellent Article! I am a great lover of elderberry..I do alot of gardening for nature..and it is a bush that is an absolute must for songbird lovers..I have several bushes that take up a large portion in the back corner of my yard...come berry ripening time you gotta move fast..lol..the songbirds are in hog heaven..wonderful : ))

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Posted by ottoson (from Riley, KS) on May 6, 2008 at 7:05 AM:

If they had been thinking women such as Aunt Karen & Aunt Nanci, they'd have lured lonely old bachelors and secured manual labor with their elderberry jelly!!! I'm hoping the birds will leave you some berries...if your elderberry jelly is anywhere near as tasty as your strawberry jam, I'm in!!!

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Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on May 6, 2008 at 10:17 PM:

So what kind of jelly do I have to make to get manual labor - do you think I will get anywhere with my cranberry sauce?

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