When should I pick elderberries?
Having made lots of elderflower cordial from the bumper crop of elderflowers in the hedgerows near my home in June, I can now see that we are also in for a bumper crop of elderberries.
How can tell when they are ready to pick? When I was small, my family made jam with them. Any other ideas?
Best Answer
From Greenfootsteps' "Elderberry Recipes for a Healthy Winter Edinburgh":
Pick elderberries when they are fully ripe in early autumn. The bunches should be starting to droop downwards with the weight of the fruit. Use a fork or your fingers to gently prise the fruit away from the stalks. This can be a bit fiddly but you don't have to be too perfect with it - a few bits of stalk will not matter.
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How do I know when elderberries are ripe?
Green or bright red elderberries are bitter, and possibly toxic, even when cooked. How to tell when elderberries are ready to harvest: Ripe elderberries tend to be a deep purple to black colour. Underripe elderberries will not ripen after being harvested. Do not eat elderberries when green.Can you eat elderberries right off the tree?
Can you eat raw elderberries? Cooked ripe elderberries are perfectly edible. Unripe elderberries are poisonous. Raw berries can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, among other symptoms, so be sure to cook them before eating.How do you pick and clean elderberries?
The easiest way to wash them is to fill a large bowl with water and add the elderberries swishing them around to dispel any unwanted debris or insects which usually rise to the surface so you can skim them off. Sometimes a second rinse is required depending on the state of your elderberries.What time of year do you get elderberries?
From around August to October elderberries are in season and ready for picking. They're not grown commercially so if you want fresh berries be prepared to go foraging. Some varieties of elderberries can be toxic when eaten raw \u2013 the best way to avoid this is to make sure you always cook your elderberries well first.More answers regarding when should I pick elderberries?
Answer 2
Early September in the UK at least
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