elderberries for medicine, tea, food and wine · muddleheaded from a bug, nothing is more soothing...
TRANSCRIPT
Enchanting Elderberries
After publishing our article on Best Herbs for Colds and Flu1), on GardensAll.com, quite a discussion ensued on our Facebook page with folks wanting to know more about Elderberries.
What zone do they grow in? What variety to grow? Are they hard to grow? How do the berries taste? (Hint: they’re usually
cooked or turned into wine) How big do they get? Is it a shrub or a tree?
So… we went sleuthing online to find some answers for you and for us… and we’ve added elderberries to our yard this year.
If you’re already growing elderberries, please share comments
here or over on the Gardens All Facebook page.
1.
1 http://gardensall.com/best-herbs-for-colds-and-flu/
How to Grow Elderberry Plants
Excerpted from article by Kathee Mierzejewski on GardenKnowHow.com
Growing elderberries is not all that difficult. They can tolerate different conditions like soil that is in poor condition or soil that is too wet. One thing growing elderberries cannot tolerate, however, is drought.
When planting elderberry bushes, you should note that the berries will grow on the bushes the first year you plant them. Just remember that the berries will do better the second year.
Elderberry planting is done best on well-drained loamy soil. Sandy soils should be improved by adding a few inches of organic matter.
1)2)
When elderberry planting, make sure to allow for cross-pollination. Therefore, two or more cultivars can be planted near each other. This allows for the necessary cross-pollination.
When planting elderberry bushes, plant them one meter apart in rows that are four to five meters apart. Make sure you do your elderberry planting early in the spring. After planting, be sure to water them so they get a good start.
3)
1,2. http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/amending-sandy-soil.htm
3. http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/elderberry/planting-elderberry.htm
More on Growing Elderberry
Excerpted from Garden.org
Elderberries are one of the easiest and most versatile shrubs to grow in your edible landscape. These Central European and North American natives are often found growing wild along roadsides, forest edges, and abandoned fields.
The prize for growing elderberries is the fragrant, edible flowers and the delicious fruits. The dark purple berries contain vitamins A and B, and more vitamin C than oranges. They are also high in cancer-fighting antioxidants. In fact, elderberry fruits have historically been used to treat many ailments, such as respiratory problems, colds, and flus. Plus, they are tasty when used in juices, jellies, jams, teas, pies, and wine. You can use the umbrella-shaped, elderberry blossoms for making a delicious fritters or even champagne (see recipe in this issue). And if you don’t want to eat the berries, the birds certainly will love them.
Planning
Elderberries fruit best when you plant at least two different varieties within 60 feet of each other. They start producing when the plants are 2 to 3 years old. While all elderberries produce berries, there are several varieties of the American elderberry that are especially good fruit producers.
Elderberries Grow in Zones 3-8 in North America
Top Elderberries for Fruit Production in North America
Adams – This American variety grows 8 to 10 feettall. The large, juicy, dark purple fruits ripen inAugust and are great for making pies. The strongbranches hold the berries upright. Plant apollinator variety such as ‘Johns’ for maximumfruiting. This variety is often sold as ‘Adams No. 1’or ‘Adams No. 2’. There is little differencebetween these two selections.
Black Beauty – This striking European varietyfeatures purple foliage and lemon-scented pinkflowers. It grows 6 to 8 feet tall and wide and canbe grown in perennial borders or as a foundationplant.
Black Lace – This eye-catching European selectionlooks like a Japanese maple with its dark purple,deeply cut foliage. Like ‘Black Beauty’, this varietyalso grows 6 to 8 feet tall and wide, producingpink flowers and dark purple fruits.
Johns– This early-producing American varietyproduces an abundance of berries that areespecially good for making jelly. Growing 12 feettall and wide, this variety is a good pollinator for‘Adams’.
Nova – This American variety can be self-fruitful,but does best with another American elderberry
growing nearby. Large, sweet fruit are produced on compact, 6-foot shrub.
Variegated – This European variety has attractivegreen and white leaves and grows 6 to 8 feet talland wide. The plant is less vigorous andproductive than other elderberry varieties, butthe foliage is attractive all season long.
York – This American variety produces the largestberries of all the elderberry selections. It maturesin late August and only grows 6 feet tall and wide.It pollinates ‘Nova’ well.1)
Elderberry Books on Amazon
So we’ve planted our own elderberries bushes this year, for the medicinal benefits, the beautiful flowers (which you can use in tea and salads), and for the beauty it adds to the landscape as well as for the berries for syrups and teas.
Keep on growing!
1 http://garden.org/ediblelandscaping/?page=july_elderberry
Herbs for Colds and Flu
Elderberry
Rich, dark purple elderberries (Sambucus nigra) shine as one
of the best herbal remedies for immune boosting and helping
to fight off certain viruses, especially types A and B influenza.
They are also classed as safe for children. Elderberries have
long been used by herbalists to assist with upper respiratory
infections, sore throats, and influenza, possibly by interfering
with the virus' ability to replicate itself.
Many elderberry syrup recipes combine fresh or dried
elderberries with honey in order to bring out the healing
components of both into one handy remedy. Studies show
that taking elderberry syrup at the onset of flu symptoms can
lessen the severity of symptoms and shorten the amount of
time that you feel them. Keeping a bottle of elderberry
syrup on hand is always a good idea.
Elderberry is Beneficial for:
Upper respiratory infections
Sore throats
Influenza
Studies show that taking elderberry at the onset of feeling
symptoms of cold or flu may prevent the infection from
taking hold entirely or at least lessen the time that symptoms
are felt.((http://imr.sagepub.com/content/32/2/132.long))
Syrups or tinctures of elderberry are both effective, with
syrups being far more popular and easier to get a child to
take. Buy your syrup from your herbalist, a reputable seller,
or consider making your own. It's very easy, and we'll provide
a recipe link at the end of this article.
If you choose to make your own, use dried, ripe berries, or
very ripe fresh berries only. Both the flowers and berries in
the Elder plant can be used when properly prepared, but all
leaves, sticks, and roots should be avoided, so no unripe
berries, leaves, or woody parts).
Elderberry Syrup Recipe
By John Gallagher of LerningHerbs.com1 and Rose Mountain
Herbs2
½ cup Dried Elderberries*
1 Cinnamon Stick
5 Cloves
1 Tablespoon Ginger, freshly grated
2 cups Water
1 cup Honey (preferably local wild honey)
Add the dried elderberries, cinnamon stick, ginger, cloves and
water in a pot. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer, covered,
until the liquid is reduced by ½ which takes 20-20 minutes.
Strain this decocted the mixture, using the back of a spoon to
press out the liquid. Add honey.
You can store this in a closed jar in the fridge for up to a couple
weeks.
*You can also make this same recipe with fresh or frozen
berries, but double the amount of berries.
For a how to video and the source of this recipe, visit
YouTube.
1 http://learningherbs.com/
2 https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/
Elderberry Tea Recipes
Hippy Cold Care Tea
This tea not only helps to boost immunities but has also been
based upon an old Gypsy remedy that also was used to help
reduce fevers.
1 part elderflower (You can use the flower and the
berries of the elderberry bush)
1 part peppermint leaf
1 part yarrow flowers and leaf
Available on Amazon:
Yogi Teas, 16 Tea Bags (Pack of 6), Cold Season
Adams' Elderberry Perennial Shrub - Sambucus - 4" Pot -
Hirts: Trees & Shrubs
Medicinal Herb - Siberian Yarrow is a perennial best for planting in hot,
dry and sunny locations in USDA zones 3-
Immune Boosting Tea
Elderberries and rosehips are well known immune boosters! Rich in Vitamin C, rosehips contain 40 times more vitamin C than lemons!
1 part dried elderberries
1 part rosehips
¼ part cinnamon chips
¼ part ginger root
Available on Amazon: Dried Whole Organic Elder Berries - 1
lb - Frontier Herbs
The Elderberry or Elderflower bush produces both berries and flowers
with medicinal benefit.
Yogi Teas, 16 Tea Bags (Pack of 6), Cold Season
Adams' Elderberry Perennial Shrub - Sambucus - 4" Pot -
Hirts: Trees & Shrubs
Herbal Tea Recipes for Colds and Flu
Get your infusers ready! When you’re feeling stuffed up and
muddleheaded from a bug, nothing is more soothing than a
hot cup of herbal tea. Just wrapping your hands around the
warm cup, and breath in that healing, herby aroma.
Herbal teas can be so helpful in soothing our symptoms and
boosting our immune systems. We’re going to keep it simple
with a couple of 3 ingredient teas.
Peppermint Boost
1 heaping tsp dried peppermint leaf
¼ tsp dried elderberries
¼ tsp rose hips
Add all ingredients to an infuser, and pour about 8oz
(1 cup) of boiling water over them. Steep for 5
minutes. Sweeten with honey if you like, preferably
raw honey, since it has its own soothing and healing
properties. This tea is safe for children, keeping in
mind any allergies that your child may have.
More Benefits to Elderberries: Birds!
Yet another benefit to elderberries is that they attract
beneficial birds that are a gardener’s friend by virtue of
consume bugs that can demolish crops.
Elderberries are also beneficial for attracting birds that will
eat insects that are harmful to your garden.
Birds that like Elderberries and why you may
want to keep them around:
Chickadees eat elderberries, and they also eat aphids,
whitefly, scale, caterpillars, ants, earwigs.
Grosbeaks enjoy elderberries, and they also eat larvae,
caterpillars, beetles.
Titmice like elderberries, and they also eat aphids,
leafhoppers, caterpillars, beetles.
Healthy, Happy Learning and
and Growth
Copyright GardensAll.com 2016