Elderberries are native to North Carolina and grow well here. Today’s photo is the elderberry/sparklin water, over ice, beverage we made this weekend. Here at Greensboro Daily Photo, we try to plant edibles as much as possible. A few years ago, we planted two elderberry plants and they are now about 8′ tall and prolific. The clusters of berry drupes are gone on the morning sun side and weighing the plant down on the afternoon sun side. This weekend, we boiled several cups of berries, added honey, ginger, lemon, and water and processed them. Raw berries are toxic to humans, but when they are boiled and the seeds strained out, the juice is perfect for cooking and drinking. We froze a large bag to process later.

Elderberries readily grow in the wild in Greensboro. You likely have seen them on the side of the road. Click HERE if you want to see what the flowers look like and HERE if you want to see the berries. If you want elderberries, September and early October are a great time. Planting in the fall reduces transplant shock. They love full sun and well-drained, moist soil. However, conditions don’t have to be ideal. Let us know if you try to plant some and REMEMBER, don’t eat them raw.

The BLENKO mini, yellow water bottle has nothing to do with the elderberries, other than it makes the pink of the elderberry drink stand out.

Happy Tuesday!