John Myers
When raw, elderberries contain the weak toxin sambunigrin. Like raw rowanberries, it can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea after consumption. Elderberries should therefore never be eaten raw. Because the sambunigrin only loses its toxic effect when heated, processing it into juice, syrup, or savory dishes is recommended. Elderberry juice is a good source of vitamin C. Among other things, it contributes to the normal functioning of the immune system.
While you can collect the elderflowers between May and June, the berries are harvested in August and September. Ripe berries are dark purple or black in color. They have a slightly sour, tart taste that can be used in many ways.
- Elderberry juice is a particularly popular form of preparation. Like the fruit, it tastes a bit sour and tart but can be sweetened more by adding sugar. For each kilo of berries, add 250 ml of water to a saucepan and let both boil for about 20 minutes. After straining, you can sweeten as you like. The liquid can, for example, be drunk pure or used as an addition to various mixed drinks.
- Finished elderberry juice can also be processed into elderberry syrup. To do this, boil it with sugar in a 1:1 ratio. The syrup refines, for example, desserts such as ice cream, puddings, or various cakes.
- The sour aroma of the berries can also be combined with savory dishes – for example with various meat dishes. A sauce made from onions, red wine, spices, and elderberry juice goes well with steak. Alternatively, a vitamin-rich soup or elderberry jam can be prepared from elderberries.
Can you eat elderberries raw?
Caution: Elderberries should not be eaten raw. Raw fruit in general, but also unripe fruit, can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Because unripe fruits and the seeds (also of the ripe elderberry) contain poisonous sambunigrin.
What to do if you eat raw elderberries?
If your child has swallowed something poisonous, stay calm and call the poison control center first. You should always have the numbers ready – the central number in Berlin is 030 / 19240.
When is elderberry no longer poisonous?
“Elderberries have to be heated to over 80 degrees for a short time to render the sambunigrin and other indigestible substances harmless,” explains Susanne Moritz, nutritional expert at the Bavarian Consumer Advice Center.
Which elderberries are poisonous?
Only the dwarf elder, also known as attich, is poisonous. The usual black elder is hardly poisonous, but difficult to distinguish from the parakeet. Hardly toxic, but it is also toxic: black and red elderberries also have toxic components.
What does the poisonous elder look like?
The poisonous, purplish-black berries are perpetually directed upwards, while edible fruits droop. Attich berries have a slight dent on the fruit skin. the leaflets on the false elder are narrower and shorter. Dwarf elder gives off an unpleasant smell.
Are boiled elderberry seeds poisonous?
Even after heating, the seeds in elderberries remain poisonous! Therefore, the fruits can only be eaten after they have been completely deseeded and heated.
Are elderberry stalks poisonous?
The leaves, raw stalks, unripe fruits, and seeds of ripe elderberries also contain small amounts of glycosides. Except for the flowers, you should not eat anything raw from the elderberry.
Can you juice elderberries with a stem?
You can juice elderberries in a number of ways: with a steam juicer, a juicer, a fruit press, or without a juicer at all. You can only juice the berries together with the stalk in the variant with a steam juicer. All others require you to remove the stems beforehand.
Can you eat any elderberry?
Delicious juices, liqueurs and jellies can be conjured up from the blossoms, leaves, and berries of the black elder. Although it is one of the most common shrubs in the wild, some poisonous conspecifics sometimes cheat in between.
