These items are shipped from and sold by different sellers. It seems to me that too much of the pulp gets left behind in that jelly bag. These pigments are used as colorants in various products, and "elderberry juice color" is listed by the USFDA as allowable in certified organic food products. a Beautiful plant. I was just looking for the berries that looked like the elderberries how ripe they were and picked accordingly. Do I have to throw this whole pot away? Elderberry Types. Also, toxins in the seeds may inhibit their decomposition, allowing uncharred seeds to survive for several hundred years.”. Canadensis is from Canada, or northern North American. Green stems or reddish green stems come from unripe berries and should be discarded. Let me research it. : dry - moist Exposure req. Deciduous Shrub. It puts on some of the most stunning growth in a good year. doe you have pictures? Are these safe to eat? So now you not only get the lovely 8- to 10-inch (10-25 cm.) My suspect elderberry bush also has some purplish color to the stem. Yet people do get ill eating a lot of them raw. Unfortunately so did many of the tiny little stems that were holding the berries. I have a neighbor now in upstate NY who has a massive clump of elder by his barn, and I want to ask his permission to harvest them, as well as dig some starts. That way you minimize any green stems, even a few green parts is enough to make you ill. Hi Green Deane, you seem to be the “go to” man and I have just made 25 litres of Elderflower wine and only now am hearing stories of possible poison. I’ve eaten berries raw and in syrup and jam/ I think this is the largest of the species, easily growing to 35-40 feet, a small tree! I was hoping u could tell me what species of Elderberry this is and if the berries are toxic, even if seed-strained & cooked? The elderberry is in the honeysuckle family and have too many medicinal uses to mention here. Great fun for kids. I made Elderberry Vodka but didn’t know to only use the ripest berries. So I am not at all surprised that he did not do his homework, tossed raw elderberries into a smoothie, and drank them: Three things I do not do. They were anywhere from 14 ft tall to 25 ft tall, too tall for an elderberry and not bushy enough. Wondering if you have heard of this one. Has anyone else ever experienced this? Wrap the end of the plunger with cloth about a half inch wide. In our area, almost every sinkhole contains elderberry, since water tends to run into the sinkholes, and tractors can’t mow close enough to control their spread. Had a few of them several years ago in my brother’s yard in Maine. Red Elderberry can readily be distinguished from Blue Elderberry (Sambucus cerulea) by its flowers and fruit. They come from the same bush. The flowers and fruit of Red Elderberry are in cone-shaped clusters whereas those of Blue Elderberry are flat-topped. I made a mistake being new to the area and just eager to start on elderberries after having some jelly made by the Amish. Two weeks ago I ate a small handfull of raw blue elderberries on some ice cream (picked in utah) and had diahrea for about 4 hours really bad and had an upset stomach for several more hours after that. If necessary I will take a picture for you. Many roads and tree lines may also have elder bushes growing just beyond the reach of local mowing crews. This is one of them. Blue Elderberry can be used as a hedgerow, as a screen, or planted at the edge of a forest. 2003: 696, 701; Turner 1995: 14). It attracts birds and butterflies and can be pruned back every few years to keep it looking good in a landscaped garden. Start your New Year off right with a glass of elderberry wine or elderberry blossom champagne. I have allot of red elderberry around me here in Alaska…Rev. Some references say red elderberries are edible, some say they are not. Your article was the first I saw that mentioned red elderberries having seeds, and he berries on my tree have seeds. METHOD OF PREPARATION:  When fully ripe black fruit can be eaten raw or cooked but go light on the raw ones.