Late summer offers a variety of mouthwatering berries and fruits to forage, and the nourishing elderberries are at the top of my list and something I eagerly anticipate time and time again. The enormous elder shrubs are exuberant, and their long, thin twigs bend downward from the heavy weight of the juicy black berries. What strikes me the most are the deep red twigs encircling all the beautiful black pearls. Their physical attributes remind me of the blood system in our bodies and of the lively, healthy crimson blood that is life itself.
Elder is such a humble bush, sprouting up in unused space and surviving in the most hostile conditions. It provides lovely white star-shaped blossoms in the spring and a profusion of highly nourishing berries in late summer. They can be used in many different ways. Ripe berries can be dried, converted into syrup, fermented in honey, produced into delectable jam, jellies, gummies, or stored for later use. Underripe green berries can be lacto-fermented and utilized similarly to capers. Additionally, they can be added to any dessert recipe that calls for berries.
Since I can remember I always adored pancakes. During the last years, I tried to find a healthier version of my favorite childhood treat. I believe I finally discovered one by combining delicious elderberries and fermented buckwheat flour. This pancake recipe is nutritious and delicious, making it a total win.
Elderberries must be picked when fully ripe. As a result, they must be an extremely dark crimson, almost black. Use only fully ripe berries, and throw away any twigs, as they contain cyanidin glycosides and alkaloids that have toxic properties.
Fermented buckwheat is an old Russian folk remedy for heart and artery health. Buckwheat is a pseudo-cereal and is technically not a grain, but a seed. It is gluten-free, high in fiber and resistant starch, and has prebiotic properties, thus nourishing the good bacteria in the gut. It is very rich in antioxidants, and one of the richest food sources of d-chiro inositol, as well as plant compounds rutin and quercetin. Rutin is a bioflavonoid, well known for its antioxidant properties, and has long been used to aid circulation, as well as strengthen and increase flexibility in blood vessels. Rutin prevents blood clots, lowers bad cholesterol, and reduces arthritis pain. Besides buckwheat, unpeeled apples, most citrus, figs, green tea, and elderberries are all good sources of rutin.
Buckwheat is already a very healthy nutrient, but overnight fermentation increases flavor, and minerals, and helps with digestion by dissolving proteins and carbohydrates into more easily absorbed molecules. Vitamins and minerals become more bioavailable during fermentation, and the ferment is also enriched with macronutrients that were not originally present in the flour due to metabolic byproducts.
FERMENTED BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES WITH ELDERBERRIES
Ingredients:
150 g buckwheat or buckwheat flour (for best results freshly grind buckwheat grains before use )
250 g kefir, Greek yogurt, or buttermilk
150 g elderberries (fresh and fully ripe)
40 g butter (melted and cooled)
30 g white flour
2 eggs
3 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
coconut oil (for cooking)
Preparation:
A day before you want to enjoy your pancakes, take your whole buckwheat grains and finely grind them into flour (a coffee grinder or wheat grinder works best), or use buckwheat flour instead. Take 150 g (freshly ground) buckwheat flour and mix it with 150 g kefir (you can substitute it with Greek yogurt or buttermilk) which should be at room temperature. Put the mix in a medium bowl with enough space, as the batter will rise slightly. Cover it with a lid or a plate and leave it to ferment undisturbed at room temperature overnight, or at least for 12 hours.
Next day the fermented mix should be puffy, slightly risen, and bubbly. In a separate bowl mix the remaining kefir (100 g, at room temperature), eggs, honey, and butter (melted, but cooled to room temperature). Mix well and add white flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and add everything to the fermented buckwheat batter. Stir to combine, but do not overmix. Add the elderberries and gently fold them into the batter.
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and add enough coconut oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add 1 ladle of batter and leave until bubbles form and the elderberries begin to pop. Flip over and cook on the other side until nicely browned. Repeat until you use up all the batter. The pancakes will turn a purplish-brown shade due to the elderberries releasing their juices.
Serve immediately. The pancakes are delicious on their own, but they can also be served with a savory or sweet filling of your choice. A few spoons of Greek yogurt with honey works wonderfully. I usually add some elderberry fermented honey* or some elderberry syrup*.
*ELDERBERRY SYRUP
While looking for ways to limit the use of sugar, I grew fond of using dried elderberries throughout the year and making small batches of elderberry syrup that I use up quickly, as it is less shelf-stable. My go-to recipe is as follows:
100 g dried elderberries
200 ml spring or filtered water
1 teaspoon of dried ginger
1 cinnamon stick
100 g raw honey
Mix everything (except honey), bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and simmer for about 45 minutes, until the liquid reduces. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, mix the berries with a hand mixer, and strain out all the goodies through a sieve. Discard the berries residue. Let cool slightly and then stir honey into elderberry liquid. Mix well, and store in a glass container in the refrigerator. Refrigerate and use up in about a month.
*ELDERBERRY FERMENTED HONEY
fresh ripe elderberries
raw honey (to cover)
Add fresh ripe elderberries to a clean glass jar and completely cover them with raw honey. Turn and move around to make sure the air bubbles pop. Cover and let sit at room temperature for a week to up to ten days, opening the glass from time to time and turning it around, to release the pressure. The honey will turn runny after fermentation. Try it and when the flavor is to your liking (it will turn less sweet and more fermented as the time passes), strain and discard the berries and keep the fermented honey in a glass bottle in the fridge.
You can find more about the health benefits of elderberries, as well as a shelf-stable simple elderberry syrup recipe in my old post The Elder – Home of the Ferries