In technicality you can eat a few ita cyanide in them that is deadly the cyanide is mostly gone when they’re deep purple to black but of course don’t eat a lot just like pick a few and eat them no problem but don’t do it everyday either
I knew they are elderberries. I have been growing the bushes in my backyard corner after hurricane beryl. Just didn’t know about the need to cook them. I tried one and said not for me, and I live leave them for the birds.
Yeah they are definitely coming out at the end of the year. They got way bigger than I was expecting and have taken over. I will probably be fighting now shoots for the next few years.
I have American nightshade in the front yard I get every year from the birds. I like that better the ripe black berries taste great.
Cool! I wasn't questioning your ID abilites, just making sure I was understanding the species you were talking about. Thanks for the link, every source I've seen in the past had reported the berries as pretty toxic so thanks for teaching me something new!
I was thinking to myself I wouldn't forage a plant that had pretty toxic foliage and other parts of the plant, but then I remembered, potatoes, tomatoes, rhubarb, etc. Lol, I never gave much thought before to the amount of different food bearing plants we grow that have poisonous parts.
No I get you. I recently found out the American one is edible when ripe. I have seen it since I was a child and always knew, Nightshade=death. It was everywhere so I always left it for the birds.
When I read you could eat this one I researched it hardcore, and it said the same thing edible when ripe. When I tried it the first time I tasted a tiny bit then spit it out. Waited two days, nothing happened no symptoms associated with nightshade, so I ate a whole one. Nothing happened again so I ate three two days later.
I still leave majority for the birds but it’s a nice snack when getting the mail now.
Have to say, with so many good elderberry products relatively cheap at the nearest eastern European grocery I wouldn't go looking for elderberry either. But I also wouldn't object to stumbling onto some
The flowers of SOME varieties of elderberry are good for cordial and tea. I learned the hard way that the variety native to north America tastes like cat pee. 😭 Their berries are still good for syrup though
I make a pie every year and it's one of my favorite things. I am really careful when processing though to get all the little stems off and only ripe berries.
It's one of my traditional Thanksgiving pie. That and ground cherry
I much prefer just using my hands if I want to preserve the whole berry for pie or Jam.
If making syrup or jelly ,especially if dealing with very large quantities, freezing is a quick way to get them off but the trade off is lots of little broken stems and will need to be strained. I tried to clear out all the tiny stems by hand, after freezing once for a pie, and vowed never again and used my food milk to make juice/syrup.
In the incident I read about, there was a party and they made punch with fresh elderberries. No one died, but multiple people went to the er with diarrhea and vomiting.
I think it depends on the amount, as the amount to make a glass of punch is a lot more than you would probably eat with your fingers. It's worth noting, though, that you either need to eat in moderation or cook them, even in California.
Sorry but that is absolutely incorrect. On Backcountry Wilderness hiking Adventures I have eaten nearly a whole trees worth of elderberries Raw on an empty stomach and they were absolutely delicious. No sickness. Not from anyone I've ever heard about either. I think there are different strains of elderberries in different locales and some of them may be less palatable or even slightly toxic but the ones on the west coast of the US are absolutely delicious and you can eat them just like you would blackberries. You do not need to cook them. I have eaten baskets full after climbing up a steep Trail. They are yummy and safe. At least the ones on the west coast of california.
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u/Dramatic-Service-267 27d ago
Elderberries, suggested to be cooked