Wonderful, Bill. We've planted a few elderberries at our new place here. At our last place, there were some bumper crops occasionally (if we got ahead of the birds). One year, we made an elderberry-rhubarb pie. Crunchy, but good. Also, there's a river in western Maine we canoed several years back in the early fall, and we paddled along a mile of dense elderberries hanging over the bank. Never seen anything like it. We filled 2-gallon bags from the canoe, reaching up like Tantalus (but luckier). There was no shortage of waxwings around.
Maine sounds like a paradise of sorts. Picking elderberries from a canoe with the waxwings seems like a beautiful way to forage for berries. I have never seen a patch of elderberries that big. Here in the Midwest they tend to be in small patches on the edges of woods and streams. You really have to work at it to get many berries.
Well, I'm giving you the glossy version... but Maine is a splendid place. I like to describe it as halfway between the U.S. and Canada. And as I said, I've never seen anything like that elderberry stretch of the river. (If you want more info, contact me directly and I'll give you details.) As you noted, usually it's just a small stand here and there.
I loved this (as usual), Bill. To be truthful, the title "Elderberry Elexir" caught my eye. I'm quite fond of alliteration.....I didn't know much about elderberries except people in my old neighborhood said that it was a "dirty" tree" due to all the berries that it dropped. Silly! I had to have a 100 yo HUGE tree cut down in my back yard, and now have a space (next to my spice bushes). I'd like an elderberry, but would like it to stay around 5-6 feet. Recommendations? Aunt Carol
Thank you. I think elderberries and spice bush will get along well together. You could order cuttings for the Ranch cultivar from River Hills Harvest (in MO) and cut them back every winter. They should stay around 6 feet tall or less.
Wonderful, Bill. We've planted a few elderberries at our new place here. At our last place, there were some bumper crops occasionally (if we got ahead of the birds). One year, we made an elderberry-rhubarb pie. Crunchy, but good. Also, there's a river in western Maine we canoed several years back in the early fall, and we paddled along a mile of dense elderberries hanging over the bank. Never seen anything like it. We filled 2-gallon bags from the canoe, reaching up like Tantalus (but luckier). There was no shortage of waxwings around.
Maine sounds like a paradise of sorts. Picking elderberries from a canoe with the waxwings seems like a beautiful way to forage for berries. I have never seen a patch of elderberries that big. Here in the Midwest they tend to be in small patches on the edges of woods and streams. You really have to work at it to get many berries.
Well, I'm giving you the glossy version... but Maine is a splendid place. I like to describe it as halfway between the U.S. and Canada. And as I said, I've never seen anything like that elderberry stretch of the river. (If you want more info, contact me directly and I'll give you details.) As you noted, usually it's just a small stand here and there.
I loved this (as usual), Bill. To be truthful, the title "Elderberry Elexir" caught my eye. I'm quite fond of alliteration.....I didn't know much about elderberries except people in my old neighborhood said that it was a "dirty" tree" due to all the berries that it dropped. Silly! I had to have a 100 yo HUGE tree cut down in my back yard, and now have a space (next to my spice bushes). I'd like an elderberry, but would like it to stay around 5-6 feet. Recommendations? Aunt Carol
Thank you. I think elderberries and spice bush will get along well together. You could order cuttings for the Ranch cultivar from River Hills Harvest (in MO) and cut them back every winter. They should stay around 6 feet tall or less.
What enticing pictures and process. Thank you Bill