At the end of Summer, three months after the enchanting sweet scented lace-like star-shaped white airy elderflowers have bloomed, comes the time to forage clusters of dark tannic elderberries. Common elder (Sambucus nigra L.), elder bush, black elder or European elder, is the most widespread species, found in moist and sunny areas along forest edges and hedgerows. It grows abundantly around our house and I always felt enchanted by it - in spring by the airy light white flowers and in late summer by the heavy black berries hanging from clusters on deeply red stems.
Old names like Holler, Hyllantree or Holunder all refer to an ancient vegetation goddesses Venus and Holle. Most popular among the old traditions is the myth of the Elder Mother and forest fairies holding the power to strong magic. The Elder was highly respected and considered sacred. Elder planted in the back yard, particularly near the kitchen, provided protection from negative influences and disease. It was said that to wear or carry Elder wood, leaves, flowers or berries would protect you from attack. It was forbidden to cut down an elder tree as it would bring great misfortune. In the same tradition it was and still is important to always ask permission of the goddesses and fairies before taking any parts of the elder. Conversely, the sacred elder became a tree of the witches and a fearful symbol of death during Christianity. The old stories and traditions were soon distorted - the Church portrayed elder as a tree of sorrow - the cross upon which Jesus was crucified was said to have been made of elder wood.
Sometimes, while observing and approaching plants, foods and herbs intuitively, it is so straight-forward to understand their medicinal properties. For example, a walnut looks similar to the brain and we know that walnuts are top nut for the brain health due to high concentration of DHA, a type of Omega-3 fatty acid. The carrot cut in half has the same appearance as the iris of the eye and carrots are great source of beta carotene and lutein, preventing eye damage and night blindness. Tomato with its red colour and four chambers inside, resembles the heart and we know that tomato is a rich source of lycopene, an antioxidant recoding the risk of heart disease. Avocado has a similar shape to the female uterus and is packed with folate, highly important for a healthy pregnancy.
When looking at the elderberry, its dark red almost black berry juice reminds me of a healthy blood and heart, and the deep red stems of a healthy cardiovascular system, as well as the bronchial tree in the lungs. Elder was called the “people’s medicine chest,” as it keeps viruses at bay by blocking them from entering the cell itself. Several small pharmacokinetic studies of elderberry extract in healthy volunteers demonstrated elder berry anthocyanins are indeed absorbed and excreted in an intact form. “A syrup containing 38-percent standardized extract of elder berries, was developed and studies have shown it to neutralize and reduce the infectivity of influenza viruses A and B (Zakay-Rones et al., 2004), HIV strains and clinical isolates (Sahpira-Nahor et al., 1995), and Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) strains and clinical isolates. It probably does so in the same manner as with influenza viruses, via neutralization of the virus resulting in reduced infectivity.” Elderberries get their deep red almost black colour from anthocyanin and “exhibit antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, immune-stimulating, antibacterial, antialergic and antiviral properties; therefore, their consumption may contribute to prevention of several degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, inflammatory disease and diabetes (Dawidowicz et al., 2006; Thole et al., 2006).” Read more here .
SIMPLE ELDERBERRY SYRUP
Ingredients:
1kg elderberries
500g sugar or raw honey
sterilized bottles
This is a very simple elderberry syrup, the same one that my grandmother always made and kept in her pantry throughout winter. You can use either fresh or dried elderberries.
In case you would like to up your medicinal properties of this simple syrup, you can add anything or everything from the following list (and make sure to simmer for up to 1 hour with the elderberries): fresh or dried ginger, cinnamon stick, rose hips, hawthorn berries, rose petals, liquorice root, cacao nibs, cardamom seeds, whole cloves, echinacea, wild berries like blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, hibiscus, lemon or orange peel.
If you are using fresh elderberries, it is important that they are completely ripe - they have to be black. Disregard all the green or light red ones. Elderberry stems and leaves contain some toxic compounds, so make sure to remove them (although if some are still there, don’t worry, the toxicity will be gone during cooking. Raw elderberries can be eaten raw, but can cause stomach upset, so it is best to cook them for at least 10 minutes). I use fingers and a fork to remove all the berries from the stems. Make also sure to remove all unripe or overripe berries. It is a somewhat slow process, but very meditative and worth all the effort, as this is the best medicine you can have at hand for the winter months.
Collect the berries in a big bowl, wash the berries in a sieve and put them in a big pot, adding just enough water to cover them all. Bring the berries to a boil and let them simmer for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally (if you are using dried berries I like to simmer them longer, for up to 1 hour). Juice the berries with a kitchen mixer and strain the berries through a colander with cheesecloth - make sure to squeeze out all the precious liquid. Discard the berries (put them in the compost if you have one).
If you are using sugar, add sugar to the juice and simmer for another 5 minutes so the sugar dissolves and the syrup thickens.
If you are using raw honey, let the juice cool down a bit, add the honey and mix until dissolved.
Used the sterilised bottles and fill the still hot/warm syrup with a funnel into the bottles. Refrigerate for up to 6 months.
Elderberry syrup can also be frozen for later use. I like to keep the syrup in ice-cubes form, so I can just add 1 cube to a glass of water or tea during winter.
You can also dry the berries and keep them for later use. I love to dry them in the sun and keep in the pantry throughout winter. Great way to preserve elderberries is by freezing them - put them on a sheet of paper and freeze them individually first, then you can put them in a container and keep in the freezer for later use.
What else can you do with elderberries and elderberry syrup?
I love to add elderberries to pies together with other wild berries, like blueberries, cranberries, blackberries. I also love to use elderberry syrup to make poached pears, adding the syrup to smoothies and to make elderberry popsicles. Elderberries can also be used for jams, compotes, gumies, mead, fermented sodas and tinctures.
If you would like to learn more about elderberry, read The Practical Herbalist’s Herbal Encyclopedia entry on elderberry and for more interesting recipes check out: 70+ Elderberry Recipes & Remedies for Food & Health.