What on earth are elderflowers, anyways?
We grow Sambucus canadensis, American Elderberry. Elderberries grow on the Elder bush or shrub. It’s a bush that grows huge- many of ours are 10-15 feet tall. In the spring, it produces flowers. The flowers look like the photo on the left. When the flowers are pollinated, they begin to turn into berries, as in the middle photo. Finally, the berries swell and get heavy. They turn dark purple black, and the stems redden. The berries hang heavily down. It looks a lot like poke berry, with similar colors. If you harvest the elderflower, you get no berries from that particular flower.
Walking through our elderberry orchard in June, the rich floral scent of elderflowers hangs in the air. Like all of our plantings, we do not use pesticides on our elders, and only use natural fertilizers. They grow on our own property, far from traffic.
We began harvesting elderflowers in 2021, and top in our mind was what to make from them. Mike grew up in Sweden, and elderflower is a taste he grew up with, so we had lots of ideas to choose from.
In parts of Europe, the elderflower is the only part of the elder bush used. Because the flowers are harvested, the berries never form, or, if they do, no one is too interested in them. Here in America, it’s all about the berry.
Since harvesting the elderflowers reduces our berry yield, why would we harvest them? Not all elderflowers choose to grow in a great place. If they are growing low on the plant, then when the berries form and get heavy, they will hang on the ground. If left to their own devices, elderberries will ripen over about 3 months. We prefer a shorter window for harvesting elderberries. Harvesting some of the flowers leaves the plant healthier. Also, elderflowers are delicious.
Do elderflowers have the same health benefits as elderberries? I’m not a doctor, nor am I a herbalist. This is the only study I’ve found. I’ve read many herbalists say that the elderflower does have the same health benefits, but if this is important to you, do your research.
We offer elderflower products from our own elderflowers grown here on our farm in Good Hope, Ga. As with anything else we produce, it’s seasonal, and we tend to sell out.
