Dear Dave and Trish, another great podcast! Elder or Sambucus nigra grows all over around us and in fact in most places you will find some. It grows in hedgerows, as standing shrubs and trees wherever it can get a hold.. Our berries get large as it rains a lot here, normally! In legend if you cut an Elder tree down you go seven times to the Devil.
We use the flowers to deep fry. You pick them, then quickly wash them and dry them, then we just batter them in beer batter and give them about 4-6 minutes in hot oil. They are quite delicious and are non toxic due to the heat of the oil.
They are of course very good for you, as depending where they grow they do contain a lot of vitamins, both the flowers and the berries, that is.
Elderflower cordial which is non alcoholic is made here a lot and is quite cheap, you just add cold water in a glass with the cordial in, and it is a most refreshing drink which is much used in the summer.
Of course both Elderflower wine and Elderberry wine is common place, and that too is good for you in moderation, as like a lot of homemade wines it can be strong in alcohol. However there are lots of commercail companies that make it and Sloe gin.
You can make wine out of most things and Oak leaf wine is very nice indeed. Damsons grow in a lot of the hedgerows here and that makes exceptional wine as well.
Kindest regards from a hot in the day time and then wet and cool England on a night.
Neil.
p.s. A new way to water the garden.
The elderberries are all over the side of the road here. We made wine out of them one year too!
