The Amazing Blue Elderberry

I am a push over for the wild blue elderberry.  An amazing shrub offers the forager a tremendous bounty.  Use for making fire, musical instruments, hunting weapons, traps, and in late summer and autumn eat delicious blue elderberries.

“Oh, and the syrup is, as you imagine, a beautiful rich purple color, incredibly delicious on home made pancakes, vanilla ice cream, or in elderberry cream pie!

Elderberry Cream Pie from Wild Edibles

The elderberry is a shrub that we cover in depth at our Second Circle Camp.  Elderberries grow in riparian habitats, road banks, meadows, and damp forest openings, up to timberline.

Wild blue elderberry: Sambucus cerulea and S. racemosa range from British Columbia south to California. S. mexicana ranges from northern California south into Mexico and east into Nevada and southwestern New Mexico.  The S. callicarpa species (Pacific red elder) grows in coastal habitats from southern Alaska to central California.

Basic Elderberry Syrup

1 quart blue elderberries
Juice of one lemon
3 cups water
1 tbsp cornstarch or flour
1/4 cup sugar or honey

Crush elderberries, add 1 cup of water and sugar or honey,
and simmer for 15 minutes.  Strain, and then add 2 cups of water
to the seeds and pulp and strain again.
Add to the liquid the lemon juice and adjust sugar if desired.
Bring to a boil and thicken slightly by stirring one-tablespoon cornstarch
or flour in one-tablespoon cold water and stirring this into the simmering syrup.
Makes 5 cups
According to the author of this recipe, “This syrup has few equals when used over pancakes or ice cream.”  I have to agree, completely and happily.

I first began working with this shrub when I lived in the Sierra’s where I discovered the local Mi-Wuk community has used that blue elderberry extensively for many thousands of years as an important part of their material and musical culture.

Warning! Blue elderberry and more so, the red elderberry, contain the compound hyrocyanic acid, a compound that may lead to mild cyanide poisoning if consumed in large quantities uncooked.  The bark leaves, and roots contain the highest concentrations of the acid.  The flower clusters are non-toxic, edible, and medicinal.  If the elder berries are red, do not eat them raw!  They need boiling before consumption.  A little bit scary I know.

However I have grazed on the raw blue elderberry for years, though they can make some people mildly nauseous uncooked, you are not going to die from munching on a small handful.  Cooking or drying removes any toxicity from the blue elderberries, and is fantastically delicious!

A few of the very neat survival applications about the elderberry wood is its soft center pith which can easily be scraped and removed to make a hollow stem.  Straight long shafts of the wood can be made into a serviceable “Blow Gun,” and shorter sections of the wood are split part way and hollowed for clapper stick.  (A musical instrument enjoyed by the Pomo and Mi-Wuk peoples.)

If you are using the elderberry stalks green, you will want to carve off, strip, scrape, and remove all the green bark, and let the wood dry some.  A spindle made from the elderberry is excellent either for the bow drill or hand drill friction fire making process.

If you are a fan of the Man vs. Wild or Born Survivor series with Bear Grylls, Bear made fire in the Sierra episode using a long slender spindle from the wild blue elderberry.

The reason I really wanted to share the blue elderberries many qualities is elderberry cream pie, makes my mouth water just thinking about it.  Celeste and I have been harvesting the ripe berries this fall.  With great anticipation and delight, we have cooked and reduced the berries in preparation for making elderberry syrup.  The syrup is the main ingredient you must make first before you make the actual elderberry cream pie itself.

We almost did not get a picture of the pie it went so fast.  Oh, and the syrup is, as you imagine, a beautiful rich color, incredibly delicious on home made pancakes, vanilla ice cream, or in elderberry cream pie!  The berries make an outstanding wine.

The berries are important food for, Western blackbird, House Finch, Red-Shafted Flicker, Ash-Throated Flycatcher, Black Headed Grosbeak, Scrub and Steller Jays, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bullock’s and Hooded Oriole, and Phainopepla.  Please leave some berries for the birds.

Remember; positively identify any plant before use, edible, medicinal, or utilitarian application.

Recommended reading:
“Edible and Useful Plants of California” by Charlotte Bringle Clarke (Great wild food recipes include the elderberry pie and syrup I am sharing here.)

“Edible and medicinal Plants of the West” By Gregory L. Tifford

Elderberry Cream Pie

3 eggs, separated
2 Tbsp grated orange or lemon peel
3/4 cup elderberry syrup
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup of sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cream of tarter
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 baked 9-in pie shell.

Blend over heat until smooth:  the egg yolks, elderberry syrup, unflavored gelatin, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt.
Do not boil.  Add grated orange or lemon peel and pour into a bowl; refrigerate until slightly firm.

Do not refrigerate too long, (like overnight), just until it is slightly firm, this does not take very long. Otherwise, you will not be able to blend the whipped cream and meringue with the jelled juice.
Beat the egg whites until stiff and add cream of tarter and 1/4 cup sugar, beating continuously.

Beat heavy cream until fluffy and fold half into the egg-white mixture.
Fold the egg-white mixture into the refrigerated sauce.
Pour into pie shell and garnish with remaining whipped cream.
Serves 6
Thank you, Charlotte Clarke, for the delicious recipes!