Are elderberry worth it for the fruit?

i dont understand why he would want one from here if he has wild ones hardy there? its a small elder, only getting about 5 - 6ft with small cymes but alot of them. berries are bb sized so nothing spectacular.

He may have not known they were there. Quite a few times I have researched some wild plant just to end up finding one growing in my relatively small space.

1 Like

Are you saying that tasted worse than Mezcal, (the stuff with the worm at the bottom). I could still taste that stuff days later after making the mistake of drinking a bottle with a buddy.

But hey, it puts hair on your chest… right…
:face_vomiting:

1 Like

flavoring and fermentation are leagues apart. Magic happens when yeast take over the process that can’t be emulated with just alcohol.

Heck I’m a big fan of fortified wines and I’m not talking Thunderbird (what’s the word? Thunderbird!). As long as it is on the side of dry I’m a sucker for a good jerez, port, madeira, marsala, commandaria, and even vermouth. Take madeira wine; after regular wine fermentation brandy is added, but then they are subjected to a baking process called canteiro. That entails the temperature raising by 5 degrees celsius a day until it hits 50c, and held there for 3 months. From there they mature in oak for 3 years, and the best are further aged from 3 to 20+ years.

2 Likes

Bought a bunch of elderberry plants. What is a good spacing in a row?

I didn’t add anything else, except some acid blend. I guess I figured there were enough tannins in it already. I wasn’t particularly careful about unripe berries, though I did make sure there weren’t any leaves in it. I likewise didn’t worry about seeds, since they’d come out when I transferred it to the secondary fermentation vessel.

1 Like

id go at least 6 ft. if you want a hedge, 10’ if you want to mow in between.

they’re good, like aronia, mixed with another berry. black currant added will give any bland berry a pick me up. i mainly use mine as a syrup or tincture for medicinal uses. the birds get the rest. cant wait till marge produces berries next year. they went from 6in. rooted cuttings to 5fters in a dry summer. have 4 planted. read they get 20-25ft.at full size and big berries/ cymes should be much easier to harvest.

1 Like

This year my wife made elderberry jelly, gummies and dehydrated the remaining for tea. I have no idea what variety they are, but they grow about 8 foot tall and clusters ripen consistently uniform, thats a big plus.

I have to move the shrub this year so I plan on rooting dormant cuttings into a 100 foot row to grow with our blueberries. Ideal soil PH is very close for both, so I hope it works out.

Prayers and support to all the families affected by hurricane helene.

2 Likes

Thanks Steve. The ones I have are roughly two foot or less. How many years will it take to get out of deer range?

1 Like

To the original question, I’d say elderberries are 100% worth growing, if you can. They are supposedly easy to grow, but I’ve tried numerous times and only have 1 successful bush. It’s quite large though and I get a few cups of berries off it a year. They are a pain in the ass to process. I make syrup out of them and if you put it on vanilla ice cream it is a transformative experience you will never forget. Also it is medicinal at fighting viruses, so that’s another reason to grow it. Another reason, IMO, is that you cant buy them in stores usually, so you get a unique flavor you otherwise might not have access to.

1 Like

if they grow as quick as mine, 2 years. mulch heavily out to 3-4ft. they cant take much competition from grass when getting established due to shallow roots. after that they shade out everything around them. they like alot of water but i didnt water the marges in a dry summer and they still put out 5ft. of growth in my heavy clay soil.

Elderberries, to my family at least, taste like green beans. The syrup with the sugar and spices is improved by leaving out the elderberries. The birds love them and leave everything else alone (in my garden). They have no sweetness, no tartness, and lack “berry taste”.

They seem to sell at farmers markets (as processed goods), have a fantastic color, and have value as a lot of people see them as a panacea (both for the body and the environment). I think they are worth growing if you got space in a hedge row, but I no longer harvest the fruit.

Our elderberries arent bothered by deer at all, again I dont know the variety they grow wild here

Prayers and support to all the families affected by hurricane helene.

1 Like

Elderberries are nice in really wet spots. I would not give up good pear tree soil for them. I do grow them.

2 Likes

Sambucus racemosa subsp. kamtschatica is supposed to be the best tasting elderberry. There is a good Polish seller for them.

I just grow ornamental ‘Black Tower’ which is similar but the wild European ones are nicer than this type. My brother makes some lovely elderflower cordial with the petals which is divine.

1 Like