Elderberry Uses in the Kitchen and Beyond

Learn how to use your elderberry harvest to the fullest and make elderberry jelly, wine, concentrate, and more. Elderberry uses can even be extended to the winter season.

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by Adobe Stock/natalieina17

Learn how to use your elderberry harvest to the fullest and make elderberry jelly, wine, concentrate, and more. Elderberry uses can even be extended to the winter season.

Upon moving from the Midwest to the Idaho mountains, I was faced with the task of learning to recognize scads of new woodland plants. Somehow– no matter where I might look — one particular shrub kept catching my eye. At first I simply noticed the plentiful plant’s showy compound leaves, each with 5 to 11 leaflets. But then in June (after everything else had bloomed) this tall bush suddenly became a striking hillside ornamental packed with clusters of delicate white flowers. Still later — right at the ragged end of summer — the blossoms were transformed into bunches of tiny purple berries. Some of those tasty-looking, double-handful-sized fruit clumps became so heavy their stems drooped down with the weight!

When I quizzed my nearest neighbor about this abundant yet mysterious shrub, she said, “Why, they’re plain ol’ good-eatin’ elderberries, child.” So I decided to harvest a few fruity clusters and kitchen-test them. The berries were so easy to pick that I was able to gather a bagful in no time at all. I soon found out that the tedious task of separating the individual fruits from their tiny twigs more than made up for the “pickability” of the many-berried clumps. And to tell the truth, the little morsels didn’t taste all that good to me raw, either (though I’ve learned since then that some folks like ’em fine that way).

Elderberry Uses

I was beginning to wonder if this particular wild food wasn’t better left in the woods. But I quickly reversed my opinion when I started cooking with them and discovered a multitude of elderberry uses. The tidbits were downright delectable when baked (especially if I added a touch of lemon to my fixings). I just substituted elders in my blueberry recipes and turned out dandy pies, cobblers, and muffins. (The fruits became naturally mellow and mouthwatering as soon as I’d dried a few bunches, too.)

  • Updated on Jun 22, 2022
  • Originally Published on May 1, 1981
Tagged with: elderberry, Elderberry Jelly, Elderberry Recipes, Elderberry Wine, elderflowers, Marion Lillie, slump
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