What's Blooming: Elderberries

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I never thought much about elderberries until my daughter's father in law sent me some elderberry wine and elderberry jelly. Both were delicious and I look forward to getting restocked whenever I go over there or she comes here. Elderberry bushes grow near water or low lying areas. You see them often along the road and they start blooming in June in most areas. As you can see in the photo, the blooms are white. The berries form under the blooms and are first green and then turn a light brown and last a dark brown/purple color. Then they are ripe. If eaten before fully ripened you are likely to get an upset stomach and stomach ache. That is the reason they were thought of as "toxic" in years past. This old wives tale has been debunked and people everywhere are enjoying their elderberries and the things they create with them. This is one of the bushes that I saved from my hubby whacking it down this year. It was actually growing right beside our house on the shady side. I have found some more big ones back below the chicken coops that are close to the property line. Next year we should have enough berries to make some jelly! Have you ever eaten elderberries? © 2020 Karen Gros; All rights reserved