Blue Elderberry

Sambucus nigra var. caerulea

Before the berries, there are flowers; beautiful umbels, three to four inches wide, of hundreds of individual tiny white flowers that attract a host of pollinators. Once the flowers are pollinated by a variety of insects the berries start to form and are fully formed and ready to harvest in early fall.

People have harvested Elderberries for many hundreds of years because of  multiple health benefits, and used them in many ways; to make jams or jellies, for tonics or meads, or dried the berries to store for future uses.  But right now, these prolific shrubs are still producing fresh umbels of flowers.

The Elderflowers can be used to create a delicious flower ‘tea’. Simply pick a few flower umbels, shake off any slow-moving pollinators, and rinse them under running water to remove any loose plant parts. Put the flower umbels into a glass container and fill it with cold water.

To make ‘sun tea’ simply place your container in a warm, sunny place for a day or two until the water turns a golden color. Then carefully drain off the golden tea and add the spent flowers to your compost pile.  Sweeten the tea to taste with some honey; add ice if you like for a healthy and refreshing summertime treat!