Here are the ripening berries:
And, my eagerly awaited sit under the Elder. A whole year is just too long.
I am still gaining much healing from the tincture and oil I made last year. With so many birds here I don't even have a chance at the berries.
9 comments:
You know you can make a helluva wine with those elderflowers and some good honey. Ever try it?
Merry Meet! Indeed ... just can't seem to get it done! I am thinking of doing a lacto-fermentation with the flower infusion. Similar idea, right?
Love your blog!!What amazing food!
Hi! I just this week wild-crafted a lovely basket of elder flowers. Can't wait to make some lovely oil for those winter ailments. Blessings. Gorgeous photos.
ooooh nice! have you made this before? I only let mine steep for a week or two - never more - it molds. But I guess it depends on your climate - Kiva seems to have no issue with in in NM. Also, don't use a strong smelling oil - it blocks out the amazing smell of the Elder flowers :)Coconut, almond, apricot, grapeseed are all good. Have fun!
XO
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That's a red elder - Sambucus racemosa. Watch the berries turn red, not black ...
Thanks Henriette! I did notice the red of the berries and the round shape as opposed to flat ... in Steve Brills book he sais not to eat these... do you think that's true?
Lacto-fermentation is similar, but I am not familiar enough with it to give you good advice. For my elderflower wine, I used store-bought champagne yeast, local honey from the Shenandoah Mountains and a lot of elderflowers from along the Rappahannock River.
I miss that wine. Now all I make is grape wine here in California, which is fun, but not as fun as the East Coast wines I made.
You can eat the berries, if you boil them de-stemmed, and if you remove the seeds as they float up.
I made a jam from them years ago. However, as I had inhaled the fumes of said elder for an hour or more, the taste, to me, was of those fumes ... I gave it away. And got asked: "do you have any more"? Nope, make your own ...
Hunter - that sounds so delicious!Where on the East Coast were you?
Henriette - LOL!! thanks for the tips :)I think I'll just wait for the purple berries - and I won't be giving any away.
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