This photo from the King Country Plant Guide shows a good closeup of the flowering stage of Sambucus racemosa, or the red elderberry. (Remember, this is the elderberry that grows in cooler North American climates, and should not be eaten!) You can really see the difference between the fist-sized bunched appearance of the racemosa flowers versus the flatter, wider flower clusters of the Sambucus nigra and canadensis (the black, purple and dark blue elderberries that are most often eaten). This photo shows an entire red elderberry shrub - sizable, but smaller than its wild nigra and canadensis counterparts. And in this photo, there’s certainly no confusion as to which kind of elderberry this is… look at those beautiful red berries! Too bad they should be left for the birds.
photos of red elderberry from king country plant guide
January 28th, 2008 · 1 Comment
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prodigal gardens’ september harvest
January 27th, 2008 · No Comments
This post from Prodigal Gardens Medicinal Herbs and Wild Foods lists out some of the natural crops that arrive in September, including acorns, walnuts, hickory nuts, wild grapes, and of course, elderberries. Includes some photos and quite a few links to elderberry products and other information.
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elderberry syrup tutorial
January 25th, 2008 · No Comments
This elderberry syrup recipe from Keri Mae is the best description I’ve seen yet of how to make elderberry syrup. Includes photos of every step!
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medicine woman’s roots
January 22nd, 2008 · No Comments
I found this blog through this post on using elderberry elixir to get through respiratory distress season, but I’m drawn in by the blog description. While I like my city life, there are times I’d love to be described as a “river and a wild thing.”
Of note in this particular post is her reminder that Elder, as well as many herbal remedies, can act as a flushing mechanism for toxins, so it’s important to stay hydrated when using them.
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reuters - simple steps to a healthier lifestyle 2008
January 22nd, 2008 · No Comments
So the first of the several steps in this article is to boost your immune system by “introducing flavonoids into your diet.” It then goes on to say that according to the latest USDA report on flavonoids, elderberry fruit has the highest concentration of flavonoids.
Is it just me, or does the term “flavonoid” sound like a marketing buzzword? I’m curious as to what those are. I’ll research and get back to you.
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sambu guard as a sinus medicine?
January 20th, 2008 · 3 Comments
There is so much to learn in this blog from an herbal wellness consultant that I don’t even know where to start. Except, well, that I’ll start with her article on Sambu Guard, an elderflower and elderberry syrup, and its effect on stubborn sinus issues. I’m thinking this must be a different Sambu Guard than the one I recently bought, though, as mine has no elderflower, but a blend of elderberry, echinacaea and vitamin C instead. As an allergy sufferer myself, I’d be very, very interested to find an elderflower blend to replace the drugstore meds.
Well now, wait… looking at the ingredients I do see it has “wild elderberry fruit and flower concentrate”… maybe this is the same stuff after all? Here’s mine for comparison’s sake:
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elderberry scramble
January 19th, 2008 · No Comments
This recipe from Just Berry Recipes sounds delicious! A concoction of elderberries, plums, pears, bread, butter, milk, sugar and cinnamon… sounds somewhat like a bread pudding with fruit.
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elderberries in texas
January 19th, 2008 · 4 Comments
This article from the Texas Native Plants Database confirms that the elderberry I’m looking for here is the Sambucus canadensis. It says this variety can be found from Texas and Florida all the way up north through Nova Scotia - talk about adaptable!
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path to freedom journal
January 18th, 2008 · No Comments
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that’s IT - I’m starting over!
January 16th, 2008 · No Comments
Well, I fought with Joomla for a couple of weeks, and finally gave up. I love learning new technologies, but Joomla just was too much for what I wanted to do. So, with more than a little bit of sadness, I deleted the last several weeks’ worth of work and installed Wordpress. I’ve never used Wordpress before, but I have no doubt it will be easier to manage than Joomla was. I’m just not technical enough to troubleshoot as much as I found myself needing to do.
So… more info, and plenty of elderberry content, coming soon.
