Well it took me a bit and a lot of batteries, but I finally got some elderberry pictures in case anyone was going to check around.
They can be used as a shrub in the yard like this young one..
Yes.. those are bowling balls. Slight problem with tractors missing the road entirely and cruising through the yard. It is hard to adjust those headphone/radio do-hickeys and drive at the same time.
That is planted in full sun, partially on the edge where the water runoff is along the street. When you plant Elderberry in full sun, the berry crop ripens more quickly. This one was done awhile ago and didn't have much to offer. It is trying to bounce back from heavy borer damage.
A little ways down the street, between the road and the forest is this lovely group..
The berries
The leaves
It is a pretty easy to control shrub, but it does not appreciate the traffic of a lawn mower or the nicks of a weed whacker. It also does not handle many chemicals well. They can send out suckers, but not obnoxiously.
In case you are curious about the nutritional value of these little gems..
When I gather them, I bring clippers and snip off the cluster. They set fruit on that year's new growth, so it does not effect next year's crop. In the spring, they do well with a little well aged compost but overall this shrub can handle a pretty decent range of soil conditions.
It is considered a honey plant. The bees worked them daily, but they bloom when a lot of other flowers are at full force as well.
As always, make sure to positively ID a plant before snacking on it.
I'll be asking DV for permission to gather a few of those beauties so I can plant the seeds. I have just the spot to put a large group on the north side. That will be on our property bordering DV's place.. and as well an ideal location for hives later.
Next up for me is trying to get some chestnuts. The darn squirrels have snapped almost every one up! I managed to get 2.. and hoping to find a few more.
Only am getting a few moments back at the house and trying to get done as much as possible! The last few days have been blustery, cold, windy.. cabin fever set in about 10 minutes after the rain began. The wind has been sending patio furniture flying, eradicated any chance to catch up on laundry, and making for some very misbehaved poultry.
I may need a sign soon, if only to warn the drivers as they go down the road..
"caution! Assless chaps and nude chick(ens)"
Maybe a series of signs..
"Slow chickens"
"seriously, they aren't very bright"
The guineas have handed many a rooster their tail when confined in the coop for more than 6 seconds past when "they" think they should be out. Hence the "assless" chaps.
Guineas get first dibs on everything, regardless if they like it or not. Apples, corn, and the occasional Sprite melon have been on the daily afternoon menu. I cut the apples up and throw them everywhere so everyone gets some. The guineas like it best when I hold a piece, so they can peck at it. Some days they have good aim, some days it is like wearing Lady Gaga's meat dress around a pack of wolves.
I'd probably be less fond of them if they didn't come racing out to me every time I go outside. My minions... they are greedy, feathered, flighty and feeble minded.. and really darn cute. Up close, guineas remind me of Dr. Suess.. and a horror flick at the same time.
Anyhow... elderberry is well into their season. I'm trying to grab up what I can, mainly to plant them later. The seeds can take up to 2 years to germinate.
The berries can be dried for use later in teas and such. Personally, I like them in jam best. Back when I could consume sweets.. we used to make a syrup from elderberry and black caps. It is lovely over pancakes... or mixed into 7-up or Sprite. Often we'd have cottage cheese with sliced canned pears and drizzled with the berry syrup.. or doused over ice cream. Oh man... I miss sugar.
If you dry the berries, the seeds can be stored for over a decade. Elderberry usually start producing at about 3 to 4 years of age. The fruit sets on first year wood. It is an understory shrub, but one that exists more often along the edge of a forest, or even along streams. They can handle full on sun, but appreciate a bit of shade.
They are a shrub that defies juglone producers.. like black walnut. There are several cultivars.. and a native red elderberry (do not eat this one..) that is not edible. Most of the dark fruited wild ones seem related to European strains in this area of the Midwest.
While not a very long living shrub, the fruits are fairly rich in antioxidants. They have a history of several medicinal uses, but I like them for their taste. They were one of the things we would snack on as kids as we romped around outside.
Hoping to get some more time soon. Hope you all are doing well.
Most mornings there is a heavy fog that covers the farm. Everything is drenched in dew.
The world just ends at the treeline. No traffic, no sirens, no neighbor honking the car horn.. grasshoppers, birds and the cow bellowing out like an agricultural lighthouse. "North pasture today ladies.."
I like routine and predictability lately. I take a few minutes to grab my coffee or tea and sneak out through the well oiled front door. My usual perch on the porch..
My favorite time of the day is very fleeting. Very soon we'll be back to staying in the small house in town as the Maternal Unit will make her return. Insane situation.. but so it goes. How long she'll stay is a mystery. Not long is the general guess.
Right now is kind of an odd time for foraging as there is a bit of a lull. Very soon elderberry, black walnut, chestnut, hickory, puffball mushrooms, hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, apples, pears, plums and several other goodies will be ready.
We've still had no luck in finding work. To be blunt.. I am rather amazed at what we have lived off of for this long. Just the whole pride issue keeps me from getting assistance as I keep telling myself.. we're doing ok for now..
I am for sure doing better than I have been in a very long time. Granted the nerve damage from the diabetes has limited me.. but after spending tens of thousands on medical and insurance.. losing almost everything.. I seem to be gaining my health back. I've lost 30 pounds.. without intending to do so.
Losing weight with type 2 diabetes and poly-cystic ovarian syndrome.. to name just 2 things wrong.. that's flat out hell. That's like bailing out Lake Erie with a slotted spoon.
But we don't eat processed foods right now. If I drink coffee, maybe a 1/2 cup. No sodas, no conventionally grown foods.. no gmo... None of this intentional.. and the effects are amazing. Most of what we eat is from what we have grown, what we have foraged, and what we have traded. It is almost entirely local, it is entirely organic.
This blog is my luxury I guess. No cell phone, we've got to watch Falling Skies and maybe the weather.. but nothing else.. Too busy to be bored, and zero time for video games. It does mean a lot more time prepping meals.. especially when it is hot out. I find I can make several meals at once, or darn close.
Somehow.. even with this financial vortex we are in.. I still am able to feed others. Weird I know, but doing something like that makes me happy. Yesterday.. I had to roast a turkey. Had to.. power line got nailed and the freezer thawed before we got home in that last storm.
This odd year is teaching me a lot.. and teaching me the hard way. Always learning I suppose.
For right now.. I am collecting alfalfa seeds for AJK and wild bergamot seeds. Here's a bouquet of alfalfa flowers to show their range in color. Really a lovely and yet under appreciated plant!
