WILD ABOUT BERRIES

July 1, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

There’s so much you can do with elderberries

You can use them right away or freeze them for future use.

LISA LOSASSO BELL

Vindicator Correspondent

It seems that elderberries, often overlooked, are just as much fun to find as they are to eat.

An obscure plant, elder is reputed for its health benefits, its abundance in natural landscapes, its healing flowers and its tasty black berries.

So, where do you find elderberries?

They can be grown in a garden or harvested from the wild. When elderberry bushes are grown at home, it usually takes about three years before they can be harvested. If you are up for a little adventure, it’s fun to find them growing in the wild.

Elderberries prefer sandy or loamy soil rich in humus and nitrogen. They love the sunshine and partial shade.

Often times, they’ll be first spotted along the sides of roads during early summer when the sprays of little white flowers start popping up. They often grow near wet ditches, dense thickets and along the stream banks.

These hardy shrubs are usually about 6 to 12 feet high and the multistemmed flower heads are about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. The green leaves are pointed with jagged edges.

Toward the end of summer the berries ripen to a deep purple color and the branches droop from their weight.

Berries can be picked by the head and separated from the stem during preparation. You can use lemon juice to remove purple stains on fingers after harvesting. It should fade after a couple of days.

Eating too many raw elderberries can cause stomach upset, so it is best to eat them cooked.

To freeze whole berries for pies and other baked goods, pack into containers leaving 1‚Ñ2-inch headspace, seal and freeze.

Many uses

Favorite elderberry fare includes pie, jelly, syrup and wine. Elderberries can also be used for cobblers and fruit dumplings, and the flavor can be enhanced by combining them with other fruits or juices.

To make jelly, wine or syrup the juice must first be extracted from the berries. After rinsing and draining the berries, place them in a large pot with enough water just to cover them. Bring them to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. During the last few minutes, mash berries with potato masher.

Line a large bowl with a 3-foot square of cheese cloth and carefully pour the mashed berries and juice into the cloth.

Be very careful not to spatter the juice because it will stain. Gather the corners of the cloth and tie with a string. Suspend the cloth bag over the bowl and allow the juice to drain. Once cool enough, you can squeeze out any remaining juice. The juice can either be used immediately or frozen for future use.

Resources at Cornell University say elderberries contain more phosphorus and potassium than any other temperate fruit crop. They are also rich in vitamin C.

According to the Utah State University Cooperative Extension, Native Americans had a use for almost all parts of the elder. Berries were eaten and stems were used for tubes, pipes and musical instruments. Because the smaller twigs and limbs made wonderful flutes it was known to some as “the tree of music.” Strips from larger limbs made arrow shafts and the flowers were used for their medicinal properties.

Elderberry-Apple Pie

31‚Ñ2 cups elderberries

3‚Ñ4 cup thinly sliced tart apple

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup sugar

1‚Ñ3 cup flour

Mix all ingredients together and place in pastry lined pan. Dot with butter. Add top crust. Bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Recipe from Utah State University Cooperative Extension

Sour Cream Elderberry Pie

2 cups elderberries

1 cup sour cream

1‚Ñ2 cup white sugar

1‚Ñ2 cup brown sugar

1 heaping tablespoon flour

Mix ingredients all together and pour into unbaked pie shell. Put on top crust and seal. Bake at 400 degrees until brown.

Recipe contributed by Dorothy Beck to “Recipes from Midway Mennonite Church: 1975”

Holderschmarren (Elderberry Scramble)

1 pound elderberries

1‚Ñ2 pound pears, peeled and sliced

1‚Ñ2 pound very ripe, pitted plums

5 ounces rye or white bread, thinly sliced and crust removed

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons milk

31‚Ñ2 tablespoons butter

Pinch of salt

Sugar and cinnamon to taste

2 to 3 tablespoons flour

Juice of one-quarter lemon

Melt the butter and briefly saut the fruit. Make a thin paste of the flour and milk and add the moisture to the fruit. Add the remainder of the milk. Add sliced bread and cook until the plums are soft. Season with salt, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice.

Recipe from D’Schwaebish’ Kuche,’ by Aegidius Kolb and Leonhard Lidel. Posted by Karin Brewer on recipes.chef2chef.net

Holdermus (Elderberry Mush)

1 pound elderberries, without stems

Sugar to taste

1 pinch salt

1‚Ñ2 cup plus one-half tablespoon milk

31‚Ñ2 half tablespoons butter

1 pound flour

Pull elderberries off their stems and briefly cook in skillet with very little water. Add roux or smooth mixture of milk with a little bit of flour. Constantly stirring, bring to a good boil. Add a spoonful of honey. If the mush has been made with the milk/flour mixture, then pour hot clarified butter on top.

In some places, pan-toasted bread cubes are scattered on top and the mush is served directly from the skillet.

Recipe from D’Schwaebish’ Kuche,’ by Aegidius Kolb and Leonhard Lidel. Posted by Karin Brewer on recipes.chef2chef.net

Holderkuechle (Elderberry Fritters)

13‚Ñ4 cups flour

2 eggs

1‚Ñ2 cup plus one-half tablespoon milk

1 small pinch salt

16 elderberry blossoms with stems

Sugar for dusting

1 pound shortening for frying

With a whisk, mix the flour, eggs, salt and milk into a pancake batter. Rinse the elderberry blossoms several times and pat dry with a paper towel. Briefly dip the blossoms into the dough and deep fry until golden brown. Dust with sugar and serve.

Recipe from D’Schwaebish’ Kuche,’ by Aegidius Kolb and Leonhard Lidel. Posted by Karin Brewer on recipes.chef2chef.net

Elderberry Jelly

23‚Ñ4 cups elderberry juice

Juice of 2 lemons

1 box commercial pectin

41‚Ñ2 cups raw sugar

Combine elderberry and lemon juice, add pectin and sugar and follow instructions on pectin box. When jelly is done, pour into sterilized jars and seal with paraffin.

Recipe from Mother Earth News

Elderberry Wine

4 pounds elderberries, main stems removed

4 pounds sugar

7 pints water

1 cake yeast

Drop fruit in water to float out impurities. Remove from water and place in a two gallon jar. Crush fruit. Boil water and cool before adding to the fruit. Add sugar and dissolve yeast in cup of boiled water while water is still warm.

Allow mixture to stand covered in a warm room until bubbling ceases and strain through fine cloth into gallon jugs. Stopper with cotton for three weeks. Remove cotton. Cap and allow to age for one year.

Recipe from Mother Earth News.

Rhubarb Elderberry Crisp

1 cup all-purpose flour

3‚Ñ4 cup quick-cooking oats

11‚Ñ2 cups sugar, divided

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1‚Ñ2 cup cold butter

3 cups diced fresh or frozen rhubarb

2 cups elderberries or blackberries

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, one-half cup sugar and cinnamon; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside half for topping.

Press remaining crumb mixture into an ungreased 11x7-inch baking dish. Top with rhubarb and berries.

In a small saucepan combine cornstarch and remaining sugar. Gradually stir in water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.

Pour over the fruit. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or cold.

Recipe from Taste of Home

Elderberry Blossom Tea

1 to 2 tablespoons dried elderberry blossoms or 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh

1 cup boiling water

Sugar to taste

1 thin lemon slice

In tea cup or mug, steep elderberry blossoms in boiling water for 5-10 minutes; strain. Add sugar and lemon.

Elderberry Jam

4 cups crushed elderberries

3 cups granulated sugar

1 3-ounce package liquid pectin

Cook crushed berries over medium heat for 15 minutes and strain through food mill, removing seeds. Place strained sauce into large saucepan and add sugar, mixing thoroughly. Cook over medium heat until sugar completely dissolves. Add pectin and bring to full boil for 1 minute. Skim off foam. Pour hot jam into sterilized jars. Seal and store in a cool dry place. Shelf life is 1 year. Makes 3-4 pints.

Recipe from cooksrecipes.com

Elderberry Soup

5 ounces elderberries

1 quart water, divided

11‚Ñ2 teaspoon cornstarch

1‚Ñ2 pound apples, peeled, cored and diced

1 lemon peel

White sugar to taste

Place the elderberries in a pot with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, puree in blender until smooth, and return to the pot. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of the puree and stir into the pot to thicken.

In a separate pot, bring the apples and remaining water to a boil. Place the lemon peel in the pot. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Remove peel. Mix the elderberry puree into the apple mixture and sweeten to taste with sugar.

Recipe from allrecipes.com

Elderberry Pie

1 recipe pastry for a 9-inch double crust pie

4 cups elderberries

1 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cornstarch in a little bit of water and add to berries and sugar. Cook stirring constantly until it reaches desired thickness. Add more cornstarch if not thick enough. Add lemon juice. Pour into bottom crust. Dot with butter. Put on top crust or make a lattice. In oven, place pie on top of pan or aluminum foil in case berries bubbles over. Bake at 375 degrees until browned and berries are bubbling through holes in the crust, approximately 40 minutes.

Recipe from allrecipes.com