Elderberries By The Roadside

By Melody Rose (melody) August 19, 2007

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I remember as a child, summertime was the time that we all packed up in the car and headed out to pick blackberries, or muscadines. We’d spend the day filling our buckets, and our stomachs with wonderful sweet goodness. We’d then head home where Mom would make jelly and jam, or simply wash and freeze our harvest

It seems that in this world of 60 hour work weeks, and take-out food, some of our simpler pleasures have been forgotten. Very few children, or adults for that matter, know the pure joy of popping a sun warmed berry in their mouth while standing surrounded by bushes full of vine-ripened bounty. I can wistfully recall those times, and each summer the roadsides and fields beckon me.

My daily errands take me down a stretch of four-lane highway on a regular basis, and I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful white umbels of elderberries as the flowers bloomed in late Spring. Their big flat blooms nodded over the right-of-way fence like beach umbrellas at a fancy resort. I admired them as I headed about my business, and thought to myself that the birds would have a real feast come August.

As summer stretched on, and the long, hot, humid days became even longer and hotter, I forgot about the lovely, cheerful blooms that greeted me as I drove about my business. I had succumbed to the rat-race, and buried my instincts inside the ever-present need to deal with modern life, which consisted of job, mortgage, taxes and the daily necessities of what it takes to stay afloat in today’s society.

Oh, but then came August. Sweltering hot, and humidity that ran down one’s back in small rivers. Dashing from one air conditioned building to another, and barely daring to take a breath in the oven that summer had become. My air- conditioned car was a haven between errands, until I caught sight of that unmistakable glossy blackness that could only be one thing. The elderberries were ripe! They hung in weighty masses over the fence along the four-lane, and taunted me. For three days, I drove down that stretch of road and longingly looked at the heavy heads of berries. I didn’t need them. We don’t even eat jelly as a rule. I didn’t have time to fool with them. There were many more tasks that were higher on my to-do list than making jelly that I’d probably just give away. But…..there they were. They were calling my name, and not just a little nagging buzz, like a mosquito would make…no, these were screaming for me to rescue them from the roadside. “Come get us, please! We want to be something besides bird food!”

On the fourth morning, they had me. I could resist no longer. Gathering up a couple of five gallon buckets, my garden shears, and actually putting on heavy shoes suitable for stepping where one could not see, made it final. The elderberries were coming home. I headed out to the right-of way and started snipping them into my buckets, one big glossy head at a time.

In no time, I’d filled my buckets to overflowing, much to the amusement of my neighbors, and the curiosity of one County Deputy. They all know me by now anyway, and one more odd task didn’t seem to surprise anyone. The birds didn’t go hungry either, I left even more berries than I took.

Back to my kitchen I went with my bounty, and started the task of preparing the berries for jelly. I pulled the tiny, seedy globes from the stems, and put them in my biggest stockpot with a little water to keep them from sticking. Simmering on low, to release the juices took about forty minutes. I strained the juice from the pulp, and the juice was so dark that light barely came through it. I knew better, but had to sample the raw juice. Elderberry juice isn’t exactly fit for consumption in it’s ‘raw’ state. It has a slightly insipid, sour taste that is best combined with sugar or other juices to bring out it’s full potential.

I made jelly with my harvest, adding the juice of a couple of lemons to boost the pectin content. The result was a beautiful, rich, dark purple jelly with a unique flavor. I ended up giving most of it away, just as I predicted, but the ghosts of my ancestors were looking with approval over my shoulder the whole time I worked on it.

As with all wild foods, please verify exactly what you harvest. Be aware that pesticides and poisons may have been used nearby. Also, do not trespass on private property, always ask permission before you pick.

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Subject: Blackberries Everywhere!!!

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Posted by thesoaplady (from Arlington, WA) on September 24, 2007 at 11:32 AM:

Being a new resident of a small town north of Seattle, WA - I am totally enthralled with the wild blackberries - although it seems that most locals don't share my feelings as I have gotten some really strange looks from passerbys when I'm out picking. I have picked wild blackberries every weekend for the last month and have used them in every possible way imagineable - blackberry vinegar, preserves and syrup - I have tossed them onto salads and scoured the internet for cobbler, pie and muffin recipes. I've never lived in an area where you could harvest "free" fruit and it has been great fun--if you want to overlook the many scratches I have sustained. One recipe that called for vanilla yogurt, powdered sugar and frozen blackberries to be blended together ended up tasting like it had many small "rocks" in it! The freezer is also packed - not only with the blackberries but also wild huckleberries and blueberries that were purchased at farmer's markets near here and in Idaho. The season should be over in another couple of weeks and I will surely miss the blackberries.

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Posted by scooterbug (from TwinLakes,WI Decatur, TN) on August 19, 2007 at 1:29 PM:

If you can find EBs on a less travelled road you will get fruit that is not so full of pollution from traffic and road crews.
I hear there are still traces of lead from our leaded gas exaust in our wild foraged bounty.


on Black EBs ...............
Up here we have both the green EBs and the Black EBs growing wild .
I like the black,while the berries are smaller the flavor is more intense.
Easy to spot as the stems are red compared to the other's green stems.

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Posted by melody (from Benton, KY) on August 19, 2007 at 2:35 PM:

I agree with Scooterbug on being aware of possible pollutants from car exhaust....fortunately, our right-of-ways are like pretty large fields, and they put the fences along the easiest line to fence, rather than a strict distance off the road. My fruit was a good ways off the road, and few large transports use it...mainly cars.

In this particular situation, I don't feel that there was much hazard. In a more urban area, I would be concerned though.

Thanks everyone for your kind comments...I'm glad that this story has made ya'll smile. I'll try and include similar ones as time goes on.

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Posted by bluespiral (from Ellicott City, MD) on August 19, 2007 at 2:47 PM:

Hiya scooter - I just put that Elderberry jam recipe with stevia you shared in the first response thread to this great article. It's been a long time since I canned anything. The recipe says to just put sterilized lids on the finished jam, but don't the lidded jars have to be boiled long enough for the lids to pop? If you tried the recipe, how was it?

Here's the thread where you shared the recipe: [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]

It was a pretty walk through meadows and pine woods this morning in a light drizzle - quite a poetic way to get some exercise and elderberries. There are local horse associations that keep some trails open in some areas of local parks - we much prefer those wilder, more botanically rich trails than the more manicured ones with "recreational doodads".

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Posted by maigloeckchen (from Plattsmouth, NE) on August 19, 2007 at 12:51 PM:

Hello, I just joined Daves Garden this morning, and how funny that the first entry I read was about Elderberries. My plan has been all along to pick Elderberries this weekend. I have been making Elderberry Jelly for many years, and I am so lucky that I only have to drive a few miles to find more Elderberries than I can possibly use. If you haven't made Elderberry syrup at all, you should give it a try. The flavor is similar to Blueberry syrup, only better. Thanks for putting a smile on my face.

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Posted by melody (from Benton, KY) on August 19, 2007 at 2:37 PM:

Welcome to DG..(as we lovingly call this place) Glad that the story touched you...and hope that you grow to love this community as much as we all do.

Again, welcome!

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Posted by KarenNEIA (from Sumner, IA) on August 19, 2007 at 4:10 PM:

I also am glad to see this post! I went out and picked a bunch of elderberries and cooked them down. Because I have been so busy, I froze the raw juice. (35 cups) I had a little left over (4C) that didn't make it to the freezer so I made my first batch. It turned out terrible! Can you please give me a recipe? i looked in the Certo and Sure jell pkgs. and can't find one specific for elderberries! I don't think I added enough sugar and it also didn't set up.?

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Posted by gessiegail (from Taft, TX) on August 19, 2007 at 4:43 PM:

I can't help you with elderberries, but I love this story. When we were children we always took that long trip every summer with Grandma and Grandpa to the farm in Pecos, Texas where we would bring back a truck full of cantaloupes........
No one was allowed to eat one without saving the seeds for Grandma's garden back here at home.
Today, my grandchildren are so busy with athletics, etc. during the summer they don't have time for those wonderful lazy crazy days.
We also had a great grandfather who only lived 30 minutes away and he grew grapes for wine (LOL)...........we though it was so much fun to get to stomp them in a giant big bucket barrel thing.................
Thanks for the memories.........

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Posted by HaroldS (from Glendale, AZ) on August 19, 2007 at 10:56 PM:

Great memories from growing up in Ohio. No one mentioned elderberry pie. That was my favorite as made by my mother. She would make several every year for our local village homecoming festival and they were gone in a wink. Some people bought a piece and then asked to buy an entire pie.
We are going to Ohio this fall and that is one thing on our shopping list - elderberry jelly. Can't buy it out here.
Have to tell you a story. On one side of our property there was a slight rise that couldn't be plowed. But it was covered with elderberry and blackberry bushes. My mother kept her eyes on those waiting for them to get ripe. One day some kids knocked at the door and wanted to know if we wanted to buy some blackberries. Mom told them no, not really. But just as she was closing the door, she called out to them - "Where did you pick those berries?" You guessed it - from our patch! She was beside herself, but then calmed down because there were plenty more there, and we could always go out to her parents farm if we wanted more.
There used to be elderberry TREES along the Salt River bank here in Phoenix in the 60's. We'd go down there and pick all we wanted. Mom threw some stems in a flower bed one time and had a tree of her own for years. But birds got most of the fruit so I think she took it out. Harold

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Posted by melody (from Benton, KY) on August 20, 2007 at 12:34 PM:

Recipe for Elderberry Jelly...compliments of Sure-Jell...(it's where mine came from)
I had about 6 cups of juice and added the juice of 2 big lemons...at least 1/2 cup
Don't scrimp on the sugar either...I'm afraid that Elderberry Jelly turns into elderberry syrup if you don't use the recommended amount...although the syrup is quite grand in itself..and delightful on pancakes or ice cream....just make sure you get the end result you are aiming for.

ELDERBERRY JELLY

3 cups prepared juice (buy about 6 qt. or 3 lb. fully ripe elderberries)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 box SURE.JELL Fruit Pectin

1/2 tsp. butter or margarine

4-1/2 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

BRING boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.

REMOVE and discard large stems from elderberries. Crush fruit thoroughly; place in saucepan. Cook on medium heat until juice starts to flow, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15 min., stirring occasionally. Place 3 layers of damp cheesecloth or jelly bag in large bowl. Pour prepared fruit into cheesecloth. Tie cheesecloth closed; hang and let drip into bowl until dripping stops. Press gently. Measure exactly 3 cups prepared juice into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot. (If necessary, add up to 1/2 cup water for exact measure.) Stir in lemon juice.

STIR pectin into juice in saucepot. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.

LADLE immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 5 min. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

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Posted by KarenNEIA (from Sumner, IA) on August 20, 2007 at 6:33 PM:

thank you! I don't think the recipe I was using called for lemon juice and I had 4C juice to 4C sugar. That could be why it didn't set up and doesn't taste very sweet!

thank you soooo much!

My SureJell box didn't have Elderberry jelly on it! I wonder why?

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Posted by melody (from Benton, KY) on August 20, 2007 at 6:43 PM:

I got it from Sure-Jell's website. Mine didn't either.

I knew that I needed to boost the pectin content by adding lemon juice, but didn't know how much...so I went searching.

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Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on August 19, 2007 at 1:18 AM:

Thanks for bringing back childhood memories of my sister and I picking blackberries in the woods, and bringing them home for Mom to make preserves. We also ate them on ice cream or cereal, or just by the handful! Or course, we also got a poison ivy rash every year...

LOL Now those woods have been replaced by a highway, and I live in a different "neck of the woods". We have the luscious berries here, too, and yes, I have been known to pop some in my mouth as I walk along our long country driveway!

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Posted by BDale60 (from Warren, PA) on August 19, 2007 at 5:16 AM:

A wonderful story that is getting my day off to a great start! There is something about the seasons and the rituals of gardening and harvest that is fraught with memories and deeper meanings. Thanks for reminding me that we all need to "stop and taste the berries" more often. Very nice article!

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Posted by podster (from Deep East Texas, TX) on August 19, 2007 at 8:04 AM:

Quoted:

the ghosts of my ancestors were looking with approval over my shoulder

How touching and sooo true. Great article. Thank you....

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Posted by bluespiral (from Ellicott City, MD) on August 19, 2007 at 8:55 AM:

Enjoyed this article and comments so much. There's a trail we visit with spots of seep springs and possible remains of old spring houses where an elderberry bush here and there thrives. You've inspired us to bring back a few elderberries. They've been indicated, along with other dark, blue berries like blueberries, haw, and others as helping against not only eye diseases, but also as having the property of making it more difficult for flu virus to penetrate cells of their hosts.

Well, I don't know how "clinically proven" these claims may be, but there does seem to be a lot of support. Type elderberry + flavonoids into the search box of [HYPERLINK@www.google.com] and see what you come up with - here's one result: [HYPERLINK@www.mdsupport.org]

It's too dry on our hill to grow them, but if I had a ditch or a creek, what a great start for a permaculture garden a grove of elderberries would be (not to mention naturalizing more of these along with other economically useful plants in public spaces like persimmons, hazel, etc.)

But I think what I would like to do is to dry some elderberries and include them in tea - sounds like a healthy habbit to me.

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Posted by Dea (from Frederick, MD) on August 19, 2007 at 8:56 AM:

I loved this piece. Felt like I was walking along with you the entire time.

You brought back everything - the smells, the sounds, stopping with my Dad with buckets (always in the back of the car) for whatever berries we might happen upon back in Indiana.

Thank you !!

Dea

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Posted by melody (from Benton, KY) on August 19, 2007 at 9:27 AM:

Thanks so much for the kind comments. This piece just sort of wrote it's self.

I live in a rural area, but very few people even know what to do with normal produce....much less the wild stuff.

I'm sorta the oddball lady who they call to identify the strange bug, answer off the wall cooking questions...or put together a 6th grade science project on Sunday night before school on Monday.

I have a very interesting and fulfilling life....simply because I want to.

Never quit learning...or for that matter, teaching,....it keeps you young.

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Posted by podster (from Deep East Texas, TX) on August 19, 2007 at 9:34 AM:

You go girl! BTW, what the heck does GWD Admin mean ~ lol

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Posted by melody (from Benton, KY) on August 19, 2007 at 9:41 AM:

It simply means that I can update information in the GWD control panel. When a company changes it's URL, most never think to notify GWD....so the link becomes broken. People clicking on the link from the GWD pages get errors, or 'page not found'. I verify the new link...if there is one, and replace the old one....or if the company is out of business, I can change that information too. Pretty much a glorified housekeeper, but necessary to the function of the site.

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Posted by LouC (from Desoto, TX) on August 19, 2007 at 10:02 AM:

Thank you for stirring the memories of my mother and her mother doing the canning and making jellies and preserves every summer. Oh how hot it was. But everything smelled so good.

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Posted by Hottomato (from Downingtown, PA) on August 19, 2007 at 10:04 AM:

I loved your article. I planted two elderberry bushes several years ago and now have berries, very dark but not so large as those in your picture. Perhaps not enough rain?

Another wonderful product made from the flower is a cordial. I've googled for recipes, and they call for citric acid, which I learned is not now sold in groceries or pharmacies since it has been used for illicit drug preparation. Anyone know another source or recipe that doesn't use the citric acid?

Thanks.

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Posted by andycdn (from Ottawa, ON) on August 19, 2007 at 10:28 AM:

I loved this charming article, Melody. We have a few bushes at the cottage but I've never tried harvesting. Maybe now I will!

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Posted by Kathleen (from Panama, NY) on August 19, 2007 at 10:49 AM:

: )

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Posted by AYankeeCat (from Bridgeport, CT) on August 19, 2007 at 11:55 AM:

I planted 4 elderberry bushes this summer in my back yard as the start of my "understory planting". (Have to chuckle at that - my yard is a 50' x 100' city lot with a house and car on it!) They are quite small - so it may be a few years - but already I look forward to making elderberry jelly and maybe even elderberry wine. Thank you for the story. And, it sounds to me like you have a wonderful life!

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Posted by HollyAnnS (from Dover, PA) on August 19, 2007 at 12:35 PM:

What a wonderful story, point well taken so many simple pleasures are being lost to time in the malls and different values. We have this beautiful bush growing wild out in the middle of what had been at one time our horse pasture. Full of large white flower heads. Thanks to DG, I found out that it's Elderberry. Now I guess I'll have to learn how to make jelly. LOL

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Posted by AYankeeCat (from Bridgeport, CT) on August 19, 2007 at 12:53 PM:

I keep reading about elderberry fritters - anyone know how to make them?

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Posted by peony01 (from Prattville, AL) on August 19, 2007 at 12:54 PM:

Beautiful article. I do remember, however, the poison ivy rashes every summer from helping my mom pick blackberries in southern Indiana. It's still a great memory.
Thanks.

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Posted by scooterbug (from TwinLakes,WI Decatur, TN) on August 19, 2007 at 1:19 PM:

Yankeecat,
My German Mom made EB fritters every Summer. She swore it was a german recipe , lol.

We looked forward to the early morning hunt for the perfect EB umbels ,with just barely opened flowers on each head.

Then back home to watch DM hold the stem and dip an umbel into a medium loose pancake batter which was fried up one by one.

You neeed to sorta 'quickly' wiggle the battered umbel into the pan so it spreads out.

When it is set and full of bubbles , just before turning , use a pair of sharp scissors to snip all the protruding stems off..

We always had ours with butter and cinnamon sugar that added sweetness but did no cover up the wonderful flavor of these wonderful breakfast pancakes.

JSYK ...........
If you pick the flower heads ahead of time be prepared for a large amount of blossoms to fall off.
HTH,
~S ♥

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Posted by jadajoy (from Newport News, VA) on August 19, 2007 at 1:51 PM:

Great story!
Reminds me of the time we picked blackberries and brought them in thinking we'd get a pie or something but before mom got to them they had disappeared...:-))))

Joyce

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Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on August 19, 2007 at 1:56 PM:

First I remembered picking raspberries in Maine every summer. Somehow I think my father had some sort of paternal right to ALL that we didn't eat, so we gorged ourselves before we got home with our berries.

Then, in Virginia, with my mother's family, there were always elderberries. We had no idea what to do with them. We knew they weren't poisonous, but they didn't taste too good either, plus they would stain our clothes. I think we might have used their juice to write secret letters with (?).

Your article brought back lots of memories... pictures, sounds, tastes, smells, temperature, prickly raspberries in Maine and sour tomatoes in Virginia! Effective, and well-written. Thanks.

xx, Carrie

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Posted by Dinu (from Mysore
(India)) on August 19, 2007 at 2:18 PM:

Mel,
Thanks for the nice article and also thanks to the new system of it showing on the right side of my view on the screen. It too brought back memories of my childhood days when we would climb the branches of two small guava trees, rest there in precarious angles, many a time supporting the balance on a small branch between the big toe and the first toe while reaching out to pluck or sitting there to have a bite of the fresh fruits. We kids liked "monkeying"!

Dinu

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Posted by bluespiral (from Ellicott City, MD) on August 19, 2007 at 2:38 PM:

Thank you again for this article - just back from a trail with some elderberries

Hottomato, I searched DG for elderberry + cordial limited to the Recipe forum & came up with: [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com] - haven't looked through it to see if there's a substitue for citrus acid - but, how about lemons?

I was looking for an elderberry jam recipe that did not use sugar or the artificial sweetener stuff, and came up with a recipe that sweetens with stevia - I think I'll try it this afternoon. From Scooterbug: [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]

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Posted by LouC (from Desoto, TX) on August 19, 2007 at 3:02 PM:

Dinu, It is so wonderful that children of the world all have the same playtimes. I sat in a chinaberry tree half my childhood.

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Posted by Islandshari (from Kwajalein
(Marshall Islands)) on August 19, 2007 at 3:46 PM:

Melody, I've been looking forward to this one since your hints....what a great story! And you are right - it shouldn't have been done any other way. Really broght back memories for me too.....walking the hiking trails in northern CA and picking blackberries till we were purple and sick! Sooooo good! Thanks for a great start to my day!

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Posted by staceysmom (from Appleton, WI) on August 19, 2007 at 6:36 PM:

Wonderful story, really enjoyed it! My DH and I go picking wild blueberries every year up at our cabin in the north woods. It's hot, sticky work but so rewarding!

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Posted by Kelli (from Los Angeles (Canoga , CA) on August 19, 2007 at 8:33 PM:

I used to live near a place where I had access to elderberries. (The species we have out here is called Mexican elderberry. They're blue and not particularly bitter.) I made pie with them. It was really good.

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Posted by catmad (from Pelzer, SC) on August 20, 2007 at 10:53 AM:

I'm just learning what grows/lives on my new homestead, and how it can all be used. Not that i've actually accomplished very much, but I'm learning. after reading about using "wild harvested" ingredients that could be used to make jelly, I discovered that the Kudzu is beginning to bloom. If I can figure out just how to choose the flowers (all open? all closed? half open?) I'll try to get enough to try the recipe for Kudzu Jelly. It will be interesting, the cows have eaten most of it up way out of my reach, but I'll figure something out :).
Thanks for a wonderful story, just what I needed...
Margo

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Posted by Dinu (from Mysore
(India)) on August 20, 2007 at 12:50 PM:

LouC,
Indeed, I too felt the same about the common 'behaviour' of the children around the world. We are all "children of monkeys" aren't we? That is why we ape them around, climbing trees and all that!

Dinu

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Posted by Horseshoe (from Efland, NC) on August 20, 2007 at 4:47 PM:

Great musing and topic, Mel! Was right there with ya!

I'll never forget the time I was making elderberry wine. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately?) I had added too much sugar to it and it came out so thick and sweet it made a terrible wine but it was so delish poured over ice cream! Yummy!

Shoe

(Did any chiggers hitch-hike a ride home with ya that day?) :>)

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