This tree grows wild on a hill behind my house. It flowers annually and the berries ripen to a tiny gray-purple color. The birds and squirrels love them. I want to know if they are edible for humans. Thanks!
It is almost certainly an elderberry bush, a shrub, rather than a tree. If it looks like a tree, somebody must have shaped it thus. It is certainly edible, if you can stand the flavour. Elderberry soup was the only dish I got away with not eating as a child (I must have been suitably green in the face), though some like it. ;) However I found the blossoms dipped in pancake batter and then deep fried deeelicious. In those days, nobody was worried about gaining weight and diet. :)
Exactly, that is what the picture shows. Here is a good picture of the leaves with a bunch of still unripe berries: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/senior/fruits/images/large/elderberrytwig.jpg
Big Caveat: The Elderberry I know is edible is the one in Europe, which is dark blue, the colour of black berries. There are other kinds. The ones in the Lower Mainland of BC appear to be mostly red and the ones and here in the southern interior they are icy blue. I have no idea, if the different colours impact on the edibility, and since I do not exactly have a passion for them, I did not try any of the others. ;) A curiosity though: While elderberry mostly anywhere are multi annual woody plants, there is a variety in northern Iran, near the Caspian, which dies back every winter, sprouts up to 6 to 10 feet in spring, blooms bears the dark blue berries and promptly folds up again in late fall. Question for the experts: "What do you call such plants?" cc: Love4Bugs, PM
Red elderberries are apparently more digestible after cooking, and this may also apply to black (at least in quantity).
Sambucus nigra. This has berries which are edible when raw as long as they are fully ripe, but are better cooked Sambucus caerulea, syn. S. nigra subsp. caerulea. Closely similar to the above, and equally or perhaps slightly more edible. Sambucus racemosa, syn. S. callicarpa. Less edible raw, still edible when cooked as KarinL says.
Thanks, Michael F and KarenL. That clears up a few things. The best use I have had for elderberries as a kid was, that the green ones make great ammunition for pea shooters. :)
In the U.K friends use the flowers to make a light refreshing drink , called Elderflower champagne.Ripe berries can be used to make elderberry jelly, or used to make wine.
That's elderberry alright. When the berries are fully ripe, they make delicious jams & jellies. The bark and unripe berries are toxic, though. The flower umbels make delicious fritters.
Thanks to everyone who replied. I believe now the tree (large shrub) is a Blue Elderberry (also Mexican Elderberry). I found a photo of the ripe berries at http://ghs.gresham.k12.or.us/science/ps/nature/gorge/5petal/honey/sam/blue.htm. It says that the BLUE ELDERBERRY may be eaten WELL COOKED and WITHOUT THE SEEDS. But others are POISONOUS if eaten in large quantities as they contain hydrocyanic acid, causing CYANIDE POISONING!!! That said, I'm not sure if I will make jelly from them..........
What the page at your link says is Elderberry contains hydrocyanic acid which can lead to mild cyanide poisoning if consumed in large quantities. The leaves and bark contain the highest concentration of this chemical and should not be ingested. The berries of blue elderberry may be safely consumed and are used to make jams, jellies, pies and wines. In preparing these foodstuffs, one must be aware that the seeds still contain hydrocyanic acid. To remove this threat, one must thoroughly cook the berries and then strain out the seeds. That is not the same as saying blue elderberry is the only edible one and you can't use any of the others. Other specie(s) have even had cultivars selected specifically for use as fruiting plants and are sold by retail nurseries here.
I wholeheartedly agree with Ron, since down here we use the berries of Sambucus peruviana to make a refreshing agua aromatica (cooked berries are pressed and the juice added to chilled mineral water.) We also fritter the fresh flowers and make wine from the berries.
That's good to know, as I thought it might be important to let people know about the toxicity. Thanks for the info. Pardon my asking, but what does "fritter the fresh flowers" mean?
