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Elderberry (Sambucus Nigra)

planting

According to Nicole Haxton, educator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, elderberries prefer partial shade and would rather be cool and moist than hot and dry. Proper drainage is key to preventing root rot, so avoid any place prone to standing water.

It is recommended that you plant in pairs, no more than 60 feet apart, for the full benefit of cross pollination. They can grow up to 12 feet tall and six feet across.

The Cornell University Department of Horticulture recommends a pH of 5.5-6.6

Elderberries can handle (and need) a good amount of water at first. As long as the moisture can drain away from the base of the plant, there is little risk of overwatering.

Elderberry plants have shallow roots, so they can easily get crowded out by aggressive types of weeds.

propagation

You can propagate Elderberries in June - July, by clipping 3-6” segments of the greenest tips. Strip the leaves, keeping just one main leaf at the end of each branch intact. To keep your softwood cuttings fresh, submerge the cut ends in a mason jar of water for about 12 hours before placing each in soil to root, with the proper pH for elderberries (5.5-6.6). Keep the soil around the new planting moist, but not to the point of creating standing water. The cuttings should take root and start to grow into mini versions of the original plant within a few weeks.

Health benefits of the berries

The berries are naturally high in Vitamins A, B and C, as well as immune-boosting compounds that are specifically shown to help beat the cold and flu more quickly. They can be used to make a variety of remedies, and one of the easiest ones  is this simple elderberry syrup.

All parts of the plant other than the berries and flowers are toxic, so make sure you don’t include any stems in your preparations.

You’ll want to harvest when the berries are as dark purple, or even as black, as you can imagine they will get. They should be very soft and juicy.

Syrup Recipe:

• Boil 3.5 C water

• Add ⅔ C dried berries, or 1 ⅓ fresh or frozen

• Optionally add 2 TBSP grated ginger, 1 tsp Cinnamon, ½ tsp ground cloves

• Cover and simmer for 45 min or until the liquid is reduced to half

• Let cool enough to handle and mash berries 

• Pour through a strainer

• Once not hot anymore, stir in raw honey until it’s dissolved

• Pour into clean jars and store in the fridge. Can be frozen in smaller batches too.