EatTheWeeds: Episode 29: Elderberries

www.eattheweeds.com/elderberri...
Learn with Green Deane about elderberries, both black and red, wild food. While some are considered toxic they can be made edible. 135 of Green Deane's You Tubes are availble on DVDs: www.eattheweeds.com/media-page...

[@survivalseeker]

Thank you so much for leaving your older vids up! I just recently found you and am frantically trying to "catch up" ! Fantastic information in every vid I've seen so far !!

[@dannysmith5233]

Hey, my mom used to make pie and we would have to travel up high altitude to obtain the fruit which my family thought was poison until cooked. The elderberry pie was incredible, it had crunch from the seeds and looked like caviar. I know it was cooked and less nutritous but your vid brought back fond memories. Thanks! I liked and subscribed. My mom was cured of terminal cancer way back then by a weed called grease wood or chapperell. She made a tea and drank it cold with a chaser of grapejuice.

[@EatTheWeeds]

Actually, I don't have a job per se... As for after all hell breaks loose... I can find food nearly anywhere... all my friends say they are coming to my house.

[@tomcatt1824]

EatTheWeeds ::: that's what my friends say to,,,, but i don't have a house...

[@jimjamerman]

You're the man EatTheWeeds. I love these videos.

[@Naafidy]

Thank you for the videos! I'm a California native and we didn't have many green spots around, but my interest in plants (domestic and wild) has always been there. Since moving to Georgia I have had a chance to put much of these tips to work. Thank you for everything!

[@KatalinFodor.]

thank you for this valuable information!! i just planted some elderberries in some pots to get them started

[@M3d1aTake0ut]

Elderberry syrup and jam, jellies so good! One of my fall favorites is cranberry elderberry jam..

[@robertcratchet1634]

thank you for posting all of these videos!

[@hendrickschipper2938]

I placed a lot of pollinating flowers upside down in Argentine pampa honey for a few days.Extremely nice tasting and intense vivid dreams afterwards.

[@Wibbl]

We've make elderberry wine before, usually I don't like wine much but this wine was one of the best drinks I've ever tasted :P

[@bryantenpas8301]

Hardest part is trying to get to them before the birds do.

[@mypurpleflower1020]

I used to make elderberry dumplings in my gluten eating days. I was born and raised in south Fla, they seemed to be almost everywhere.

[@EatTheWeeds]

Did one two weeks ago, and have one more waiting for a break in the weather. Been raining a lot.

[@Organicpowerfoods]

This is a great circumstantial video that shows how to recognize elderberries that are fit for consumption, as elderberries are often mistaken with their cousin that looks almost exactly like them. This is a greatly beneficial fruit that unfortunately many people don't pay enough attention to.

[@PhoenixB4U]

LOVE your videos and website. Thank you for sharing :)

[@EatTheWeeds]

Only mother nature knows why the seeds of the red ones are toxic and the seeds of the black ones are not. All unripe elderberries are toxic, black and red. People may also have allergies to them raw even when ripe, so cooking is recommended. Proceed carefully, especially with the red ones.

[@EatTheWeeds]

That video was made several years ago with a grainy camera. When the video were transferred to my DVDs some of them were cleaned up a bit.

[@CorpseBride64]

This video is so awesome. and because of it I will be checking out yr website. Thx for sharing!

[@AntPDC]

The wood from this tree was used to make the "Elder Wand", so be careful - especially when you can come by Thestral tail-hair...

[@estherpeterson7164]

Elderberry pie and jam. Mom used to can them and have them for winter pies. Dad make wine

[@nadinefrandsen6087]

Esther- Can you share the process for canning elderberries, please?

[@EatTheWeeds]

I would imagine the short contact the sap has with the wood is no worry.

[@empie45]

I made a tincture of the berries and take a half dropper when I feel any tingling in my throat. Works every time.

[@EatTheWeeds]

The accompanying article on my website covers that. Local ones turn dark purple.

[@EatTheWeeds]

Oh yes, up into Canada as well. In fact, they are in the wild in your state now, both kinds, black and red.

[@EatTheWeeds]

Sorry I didn't see it sooner. Of the plants I've done videos on most are found in your area seasonally (and even more of those on my web site.) From the videos the plants found in your area are: Mulberry, sassafras, American lotus, yellow pond lilies, smilax, beebalm, grapes, elderberries, chickasaw plum, duck potatoes, lichen, day lilies, amaranth, opuntia, henbit, plantagos, chickweed, thistles, sorrels, pokeweed, pepper grass, mustard, wild lettuce and hawksbeard. Which one did you find?

[@amandathurston2720]

The flowers are a great early summer treat! I make a saft, or cordial

[@MichaelSmathers]

That was a great vid!

[@Bp323]

Oh very interesting! I will definetely look closer this year. I was so preoccupied with serviceberries and wild grapes that I'm sure I missed out on lots of other good things...But the grape jelly is great.

[@loves2spin2]

This is so helpful! Thank you.

[@1234567mrbob]

When I was 10 and 11 I used to eat elderberries from the woods all the time! Some people claim they can be confused with pokeberries, which are poisonous, but they don't look anything like pokeberries.

[@greendeane1]

Poke berries and elderberries don't look much alike. However, young elderberry shrubs and older water hemlock does confuse some people.

[@1234567mrbob]

@@greendeane1 When I was 9 years old I was riding home from a friend's house and saw a bunch of kids picking pokeberries. I asked them why they were doing that and did they know they are poisonous. They insisted you could boil them but I said I don't think so. I brought one home to my dad and he said do not eat those. He called them "sickberries".

[@Charluna60]

Thanks so much I just saw one in town last season and didn't know what it was. I thought it was a sort of black berry tree but different. I can't wait to gather them up. How to save them? Can they be frozen?

[@elvis459]

@EatTheWeeds Thanks for replying, I actually live in Ireland ( does this make a difference to the size ?) and the tree was planted by my grandfather around 80 years ago, it is actually about 30ft Tall. I have many pictures of it.

[@WilkersonBricore]

I just picked some black elderberries this week. I am making some jam up out of them. I thought that red elderberries were a no no so I learned something new today! :) Thanks, Dora Renee' Wilkerson

[@EatTheWeeds]

Make a nice syrup for various uses, too.

[@fuzzwarmy]

I bought a container of black elderberries at the local health food market and ate them all in one sitting right off the stems. I felt GREAT afterwards and wish I had more.

[@RhetteLawe]

Just something i know about elderberries: I grew up in Northern Utah along the Wasatch Front. Black Elderberries grow in the alpine areas there, but don't like the more arid valleys. Red Elderberries did not grow wild at all there. I later moved to Oregon. Both species occur here but black elder berries seem to prefer higher altitudes. Both set blossoms out at the same time (spring - early summer), but red elderberries ripen in mid-to-late july. Black elderberries don't ripen until the first of september; in utah they can lag into november, but it's for the better because they're sweeter after the first frost.

[@jennygirl8849]

I live and get my black elderberries from an alpine area along the wasatch front (Huntsville). 😉❤

[@EatTheWeeds]

@metalhead0jtk The young growth with the blossoms are not a problem. In fact, on report says young shoots are edible cooked, but I have not tried that.

[@EatTheWeeds]

@singtoangels They grow all around you. I would look for them along stream banks.

[@EatTheWeeds]

The state of Florida plant maps show elderberries growing in your area. I'm in Orlando and they are plentiful here.

[@SadeWithTheReceipts]

Where? I am in Seminole County sir. I have been searching for these plants. I would even meet you somewhere to purchase a stem to put into the ground to grow if I need to.

[@greendeane1]

@@SadeWithTheReceipts My gosh.... everywhere where it is wet. They are so common they are actually a trash tree.

[@SadeWithTheReceipts]

@@greendeane1 really? I’ve never seen one. That I know of 🤷🏽‍♀️

[@leanlafitte]

thanks, I love this video. I aways make wine from the black ones. its a good cold and flu med. I live on the Mississippi coast

[@andregross7420]

Thanks. Any videos coming up soon?

[@1989green]

The seeds are edible. I have tossed a handful of black elderberries into my tea mug and after adding hot water (120 F) I was able to drink the warmed juice. I also chewed on the seeds, I've been doing this for three weeks and it hasn't bothered me yet.

[@metalhead0jtk]

@EatTheWeeds So the little stems attached to the blossoms are okay? I live near a preserve for the "elderberry longhorn beetle" Its a huge (fenced in) field covered in elderberry bushes. The fences are temporary so the bushes don't get damaged. All that for a beetle >_

[@EatTheWeeds]

Oh, most definitely. I went out on a legal limb mentioning the red elderberries and just didn't want to compound my potential troubles by mentioning the medicinal side as well.

[@S-I-T]

Lots of these grow next to the canals in Birmingham u. K.

[@MsXlibris]

I love this!!!

[@lokirat]

hello green dean! hopng to find an elderberry cordial recipe. just fresh picked some.

[@metalhead0jtk]

Hey Deane! My Peterson Field Guide says the whole bunch of blossoms can be dipped in batter and fried but if you gather the whole bunch and fry it wont you get a lot of the toxic stem in there too?

[@singtoangels]

I used to see Elder all the time when I lived in FL, but now that I live in Lexington, KY I'm having a devil of a time finding any! I know it grows up here and I figured it would be easy to find but it isn't. Now I'm finding treasures like goldenseal and wild oregano, but not my favorite Elder. Do you happen to know of some good places up here I could look? Or even purchase a couple of nice Sambucus Nigra? Please let me know. Thanks!

[@indianaratman]

Im geeked out i have elderberries here on my indiana farm picked yesterday.I used a fork to get them.

[@TheRedPriestofVenice]

Do you think elderberry would grow in my backyard? I live in northern CA where the temp is moderate, but my yard gets a great deal of sunlight.

[@EatTheWeeds]

@Victoriam4074 That type of flower is called an unbel here as well.

[@sofiap5232]

I am an ethnobotanist in Japan. Japanese elderberries are believed to be poisonous. I am not sure if they are, and have not tried to find out. However, I interviewed an elderly couple that has been using the leaves, dried, as a tea to combat diabetes for over 20 years. I do not know if this can be done with the elderberries that grow in the Americas.

[@2mikey8able]

Mr Green Deane, I been wanting to make elderberry juice with fresh elderberries but what’s stopping me from doing this is How hot does the water needs to be to neutralize the poison from fresh elderberries . I’m scared of over heating the elderberry and killing all its benefits . If you can be so kind on giving me some information on water temperature for fresh elderberries , I will be very appreciated

[@itsjustrenee1320]

Thank you sir.

[@UsikuA]

Interesting how you can eat the blossom and the ripe berries, but not the stage between them when the berries are green. How do the go from safe to toxic to safe?

[@EatTheWeeds]

@DenniszVideos First, where do you live? Next, they usually are very tall and not something one would step on, and what do you mean by a "red-ball type."

[@EatTheWeeds]

@Morvarid06 Interesting. What's teh botanical name of the green elderberry?

[@426superbee4]

1st thing comes to mind about elderberries is ELERBERRY WINE

[@alexcarter8807]

Seriously! I'm learning to make various fruit ciders, and I want to try an elderberry one. I was cautious about the tree because as someone else observed, the flower clusters look a little like those of hemlock and I am scared off by anything having to do with hemlock, but it seems the berries, not seeds, not leaves stems or anything green, are fine.

[@426superbee4]

True. Got to know what your getting.

[@themadbatter165]

Hello, quick question: do black elderberries have seeds??? I have some at my house but I don't want to eat them yet until I'm sure.

[@charlesclements4350]

I read in the book Back To Eden by Jethro Kloss that it was the pith of the black Elderberry that was poisonous and that the inner bark could be used medicinally.

[@math.and.physics]

GOOD FOR YOU, THAT BOOK IS AWESOME

[@DerekMurawsky]

We had a bumper crop of elderberries this year. Must have picked 10-20 Gallons. We made pies, jams, jellies, and dies. Wish we'd known about the harvesting trick before we manually de-stemmed everything!

[@opentouniverse]

I have a question I had a friend give me some and then I went and pick some that grow close by.... When I was beginning the cleaning process I noticed that some even when not green had green insides and others were purple inside. Does that mean the ones I picked were not elderberries? They had a kind of white coat over the purple but not completely white.

[@renlentlesstourist7574]

Urgent: i have an elderberry tree in my back garden. The stems are RED-Green-Purple mix. but the berries are Black when ripe and very mushy to the touch. They also are very Green at a very early stage (i know the greens light reds on this tree to be toxic) But looking at your elderberry tree here, the stems are GREEN... mine are not. can you please advise. currently they are frozen on my freezer ready for preparation, but im reluctant incase they are poisonous. Alex

[@Gia_Mc_Fia]

Thank you soooooooooooooooooooooooo much for this video. Really helped me out. I was very confused before. lol

[@reneebarone7484]

Can I post a picture so you can identify this plant? It looks like a weed to me. I've never seen a elderberry bush.

[@cozmicdork2]

How did the native people use the Elder Berry? An what is the spiritual significance of them to the Native Ipai people?

[@elektrobear2027]

The color in elderberries is full of antocyianins like blackberrys and blueberrys. Aslong as you cook them or process them with vinegar etc theres no problems.

[@DrTiaJolie]

Thank you

[@SethMarshallNYC]

If you were to dip the blossoms in batter to make a fritter out of it is it important to not include the tiny branches that hold the blossoms all together? Or did you mean pick the blossoms and dip them in batter? Maybe I miss heard it, but I don’t want to poison myself :-)

[@EatTheWeeds]

Not that I know of. Elderberries have five-petaled flowers.

[@elvis459]

I have an elder tree ??? in my garden it is at least 25 foot tall, is the fruit the same ?

[@imaresistor]

Love the medicinal benefits of elderberries! Love your films. Need some help, however. Have read there is a danger because they look like water hemlock, which is deadly. I poured out eight pints of what I thought was elderberries because I was afraid I had the wrong thing. Help me with this.

[@ZeceFackler]

I would be interested in some seeds from the green verity.

[@2mikey8able]

Is it safe to make tea with fresh or raw Elderberry or do I really need to dry them ? And Incase I can make tea with fresh Elderberries, how hot does the water need to be to neutralize the toxic that elderberries have when raw ? One more question, does elderberry tea taste better when they are fresh or dried ?

[@sessary]

Ten to twelve foot elderberry bushes? Wow! In the southern Sierra Nevadas I've only seen shrubs much shorter -- but then, I may not be looking in the right place.

[@stephen88hox]

ive always wanted to eat the blacks ones i see everywhere( live in northern ireland)but ive always been told its not safe ,so can i munch them really and make such things as sorbets? ive found a patch close to me growing close with wild raspberries,i took some canes for my gardens cuz they are lush!

[@EatTheWeeds]

Remember.. its the seeds in the ripe red elderberry that are toxic....

[@EatTheWeeds]

There are some black elderberries in Canada they just are not the predominate one in some areas. The species do overlap.

[@k9feces]

Do some elderberries bloom earlier? I see some with flower buds now and others are only putting out leaves.

[@faeriefriendable]

an herbalist from the late 1800's referred to the flower tea as "Liquid Light" and said it was considered a favorite of the fairies. I make the 16th century fermented flower recipe as given in Stephen Harrod Buhner's delightful book, "Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers". It is similar to champagne. I grew up on Catalina Island, the Sambucus there, (fruit is black) made wonderful pies. But it is easy to mistake for ripe a partially ripe berry, with only a touch of greenish blush on the blue black. Eating 2 or 3, set me to the bathroom where I evacuated everything from both ends, very strongly!! So, to avoid that experience, just use the berries cooked.

[@thinkfastcomminity6400]

Jennifer Ho can I have the recipe for the flower drink you are talking about?

[@RedGrobo]

If one were thinking of eating elderberries for immune strengthening for the coming flu season. what type of elderberry's would you recommend taking? In what form? Is there any other foods or supplements that help with better absorption? Is there any type of foods or supplements that might hinder absorption?

[@dilligafbohica3731]

Can you use the flowers of of the red elderberry to make the same drinks as the black ? Guess what i am asking is are the flowers of both red and black non toxic

[@dokshakata]

We all hav slightly or very different constitutions, immune system health is a big factor, as Deane says the wood parts of the palnt hav cyanidic compounds in them. The freezing suggestion I like very much and will try that. also elderberries are one of the highest sources of Calcium Pangamate(B12), a strong cancer preventative and they are yummy too lol, Thanks Green Deane great stuff

[@ccm800]

what does the toxicity cause and can it be lethal?

[@terryfinley7760]

In regards to all of these plants that are “poison, except when you do this”, I have to wonder if they may still might be bad for your body, kidneys, etc.? Another that comes to my mind is Poke. I would be very interested in your take. In other words, is this just watered down poison? Thank you for your expertise and willingness to share.

[@dilligafbohica3731]

Are the flowers of both the red and the black non toxic and can be used for the same drinks?

[@horizanadventures]

I have a questions. in gathering elderberry's to make wine. The purple are ripe and safe, but nothing is exact in nature.Does a few maroon ones not red ! On a cluster hurt in making wine or will they release toxin in the wine and need to be removed ?

[@daintyapple]

i wonder what they taste like. am new to elderberry

[@EatTheWeeds]

Water and elevation can make a difference as well...

[@donnabennett9528]

We have them in arkansas and oklahoma

[@thinkfastcomminity6400]

Where can I get the seeds from in New Orleans ?

[@DecimusAquila]

Thanks! Looks like I can go foraging!

[@EatTheWeeds]

@heckfricker Thanks for sharing....

[@horizanadventures]

thanks appreciate it keep the vid coming : )

[@EatTheWeeds]

They should grow there. You can buy cultivars or dig up young wild ones. One word of caution: They for a stand and the stand slowly moves, adding new bushes as the old ones die.

[@DecimusAquila]

Will these things grow in northern kentucky?

[@Slightquills]

Is there an efficient way of removing the seeds from red elderberries? Would someone still be poisoned if they juiced the red elderberries using a steam juicer?

[@EatTheWeeds]

To my knowledge seedless pulp and or juice of the red elderberry should be cooked before consumed. The seeds are not edible. Period.

[@EatTheWeeds]

@elvis459 Oh yes, it makes a big difference. Your elderberries tend to be toxic. Check with a local expert.