In most places, elderberries don’t come ripe until September, but in the South and Southern California they can ripen as early as late May, and here in NorCal we start getting ripe elderberries in late June. So depending on where you go, you can get ripe elderberries from May until November.
The secret to elderberries, it seems, is that they are a rolling bush: Parts of some bushes are still in flower (meaning you can still make elderflower syrup and liqueur if you hurry!) while the berries below have already ripened. Even when I picked my stash of elderflowers in May there were green berries on some.
But beware, slackers! Ripe elderberries are sweet — sweet enough that the deer like them very much. We saw a lot of nibbled-off spots on the bushes we picked from. By September I suspect the only remaining elderberries will be too high for the deer to get; and then you need to worry about birds.
Once you get your elderberries you need to take the berries off the stem, which can take some time. This is the least fun part of dealing with elderberries, but it needs to be done: The stems and leaves of the plant are toxic, and definitely bitter. You need to be patient and have a light hand, however, as the berries are fragile. Work with small portions of each cluster at a time, and gently rake your half-open hand over the berries, letting them fall into a bowl set beneath you.
Again, let me stress the word “gentle.” Unripe berries hold onto the stem, ripe ones fall off easily. And you don’t want to eat unripe berries.
The best berries are on stalks that have begun to turn reddish; there will be a few elderberry raisins on them. But the larger black berries on stalks with light green stems are also OK. Just be sure to avoid clusters that have red berries. You want the elderberries that are black or deep purple.
What to do with all these berries? Admire them, to start. Poured into a large, flat Tupperware, they looked like $10,000 worth of caviar: Shiny, tiny black orbs. So pretty! Dip your face close, and you will get the unmistakable aroma of winegrapes.
It was at this moment I realized just how good these could be in the hands of a competent winemaker — only you’ll never find one working with elderberries in California, as this place heaps so much scorn on “fruit” wines that I can barely mention them in public. Tyranny of the Grape, I call it.
I make elderberry wine every couple years. To do it right you need real berries, and a lot of them. I reckon at least 3 pounds per gallon, and 5 pounds per gallon is better.
I also make elderberry liqueur with whole berries in vodka with lemon zest. It’s damn good with just a little bit of added sugar.
Elderberry syrup is a great base for the classic Cumberland sauce I make to go with wild game such as duck and venison. You can also use the syrup to make an Elderberry Ice Cream.
Cumberland sauce is traditionally made with red currant jelly, but elderberry seems more natural here in California.
The British also make a curious condiment with elderberries called Pontack. It’s a little like a vinegary mashup between elderberry syrup and Worcestershire. It’s really good with venison and duck.
Thanks for trying, Hank. If there is ayone else who has ever encountered this, please let me know. I’ve been observing my elderberries in North Hollywood, CA closely for a couple of weeks, since last posting. The berries do develop a whitish-blue ‘bloom’ on the outside, so they look almost identical to pictures I’ve seen of other blue elderberries. The difference is, the berries underneath the pale-blue ‘bloom’ remain green – all the way thru maturity and until the time they begin to shrivel and die. Even when fully ripe, they never turn a dark, purply-blue, underneath the whitish-blue coating – which is the colour I’ve read they should be, when ripe. Birds don’t seem to eat these berries, but they might & I might just be missing it. The birds may eat berries at the top that I just don’t notice…. and birds may prefer the shrivelled raisins – but I haven’t seen birds eating those, either. Should I take this as a sign that these berries could be so toxic that they should not be consumed, even if cooked? Have u ever heard of very old, wild Elderberry species in California where the berries do have the whitish-blue coating but, underneath, remain green even when fully ripe? I wanted to try cooking some up in a compote, but don’t know if I should. Perhaps I’ll try, anyway and let taste be my guide. If too bitter after cooking with the called-for amount of sugar, I’ll have to give up. But hope someone who’s encountered these same berries could shed some light on the subject. Thank you! – Sarah
Sarah: Actually, I have since heard from my friend Pascal Baudar, an LA County forager, that there is a weird variant of elderberry down there that is white/green. He uses them all the time, so I’d go for it.
Thank you for the info about the green/white elderberry variant, Hank. I’m in South Orange County, CA and have found many elderberry with this description as well as the Sambucis Cerulean. I made syrup from the two varieties and look forward to using it.
Hi, I am from Winnipeg Canada, I have a question. I brought some bushes from Ontario near Toronto. My sister, living near Toronto and I have the same problem. Our green elderberries always disappear off the bushes, and don’t stay until they ripen. I can’t see any bugs. We both have plants from our mother’s bush on the farm which always produced lots of ripe berries.
Also, do you need two trees to pollinate the flowers?
Carolyn: It’s birds. If you have green berries, they are pollinated. Maybe net the bushes to keep the birds away?