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==News About Elder Tree== | ==News About Elder Tree== | ||
'''Wild Elderberry fruit, flowers and stems provide a lot''' | |||
*Source:http://www.sanduskyregister.com/Blog/2016/05/28/Wild-Elderberry-fruit-flowers-and-stems-provide-a-lot | |||
:By John Hageman | |||
Even though the elderberry has long been recognized as a versatile plant used for a variety of culinary, medicinal and utilitarian purposes, it wasn’t until I found some growing along the edges of some local creeks and wetlands that I got interested in trying the berries. | |||
While driving the countryside as the plants are blossoming in June, it's easy to spot the large white flower heads at great distances from the road. It was surprising to see how widespread these plants are on the back slope of road ditches, adjacent to railroads and in fence lines. | |||
The foliage of all elderberry plants consists of compound, opposite, saw-toothed leaves with 3-to-13 leaflets. The thin bark easily peels away and also sports small bumps providing additional clues for its identification. | |||
The berries and blossoms of the American elderberry — also known as the sweet, black or common elderberry — are considered to be safe to use. Most plant guides report that red elderberries are considered mildly toxic. | |||
In July, as the berries turn from green to their mature color, it pays to frequently check the plants as harvest time approaches — because if you wait too long, birds will get most of them. There may be a week or two between the time that the first and last berries are ready. | |||
Rather than pick each ¼ inch berry individually, it is common practice to use scissors to cut off the entire fruiting head to process at home. The stalks are brittle and break quite easily. | |||
It is quite a trick to pull berries off of their thin, fragile stems by hand without smashing them or breaking the outer stems off the main cluster, still firmly attached to the berry. | |||
I place the clusters into a freezer until the berries are hard. Then, I take them out and tap them on a shallow-lipped baking sheet pan, which allows many to fall off and roll to the edge. Then, I reach behind the remaining berries and carefully pull them off the stems. Sweep them with a soft brush into a container. | |||
While every effort should be made to use soft ripe berries, a small percentage of hard, but dark berries are OK. Try to avoid using too much of the green fruit and limit the amount of the bitter woody stems. | |||
The best way to produce the juice is through the use of a steam juice extractor. Then, it can be processed into jelly, jam and other featured fruit products. Some blend it with wild or domestic grape juice, lemonade or other fruit juice. | |||
The berry is very high in vitamins, protein, potassium and phosphorous. Its compounds have been shown to enhance the immune system and shorten the duration of colds and flu, reduce infections and increase energy levels. | |||
The berries are rarely sweet enough off the bush for snacking, but can be sweetened to taste for fresh use, mixed into ice cream or frozen to be used later. Some claim that uncooked berries lead to stomachaches and have to be cooked before use. Pies, pancakes and muffins are excellent ways to feature them. | |||
Elderberries can be combined with other fruits such as blackberries, raspberries, grapes, mulberries, peaches or other favorites to create some unique blends. Other, more exotic products that elderberries are used for include ketchup, mush and a fruit scramble with pears and plums. Adding them to vinegar creates a unique salad dressing. | |||
Most edible fruits and blossoms can be made into wine, and those provided by elderberries are no exception. | |||
The blossoms have a fair number of recipes that have been developed, including battered and deep-fried, fritters, wine and tea. Elderberry tea has traditionally been used to address a variety of ailments such as headache, indigestion, irregularity, bladder and kidney infections, improve circulation and as a topical treatment to slow bleeding, treat burns and improve skin complexion. | |||
Native Americans used the straight stems for arrow shafts and fire-starter sticks and by hollowing out the soft pith, made spouts to collect maple tree sap, whistles, flutes and to blow air through to fan tinder to help get a young fire going. The berries were used to dye fabric and weaved baskets or dehydrated to provide sweet nourishment all winter. | |||
The European elder bush was traditionally planted near homes to ward off evil spirits. Folklore said lightning never strikes elderberry trees, so people sought them for shelter during a storm. | |||
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'''The Many Health Benefits of Elderberry''' | '''The Many Health Benefits of Elderberry''' | ||
*Source:http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-many-health-benefits-of-elderberry.html | *Source:http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-many-health-benefits-of-elderberry.html | ||