The Austrian folk expression to “tip your hat to the elder” connotes the respect that should be extended to elderberries used for health purposes. This reverence can be traced back to 400 BCE, when Hippocrates called the elder his “medicine chest.” Renowned classical healers Theophrastus, Dioscorides, and Galen also declared the elder and its rich purple berries among nature’s greatest healing plants. Employed for a plethora of ills ranging from arthritis and asthma to colds and constipation, elderberries occupy an esteemed position in European plant medicine. There are numerous resources on the subject that you can review, a few of which can be found in the REFERENCES section.
We grow the American variety of elderberry, Canadensis, which can be eaten right from the bush only if fully ripe.
We harvest clusters of elderberries in late August and place them in five-pound bags and freeze them. We use them to make syrups.
In the REFERENCES section you can find a recipe to make elderberry syrup. We recommend using only organic ingredients with our organic elderberries. The syrup provides the wonderful health benefits mentioned above, and these can be retained for up to six months if you keep it refrigerated. Ten pounds make enough syrup for one person for the duration of cold and flu season. Only you yourself can make the syrup that is reasonable in cost to you as you will be using your own time.
For sales, we harvest elderberries only per pre-orders.