Elder The Queen of Herbs

Recipies for Elderflowers and Elderberries

A guest article by Sarah PJ White author of “The Little Book of Elder”

Elder is a familiar site in the UK, Europe and North America.  It is one of those plants you probably see everywhere but never realise what it is, or indeed how useful it can be.  The flowers and berries can be used to make drinks – see how to make Elderflower Champagne, edible delights, medicinally and cosmetically.

The masses of flat-topped, creamy-white flowers start to appear from Mid May if weather is good, filling your senses with their heady, honey aroma.  They can easily be picked for using fresh in recipes like Elderflower Cordial – delicious mixed with spring water, or used as a base for other recipes.  If you are short on time, you can lay them out to dry for storage or later use in various guises – tea being one of the more popular recipes, as it can help alleviate hay fever, colds and flu, and period pain to name a few.

Image – judyofthewoods http://www.flickr.com/photos/68888883@N00/3647949351/
Elderberries start to appear from the end of September.  The glossy black berries hang heavy on red stalks, ripe for use.  Again, they can be used fresh in wines or dried for later use in pies, jams and as a cold or flu syrup.

For all those gardeners out there, you can also use the leaves to make an effective pesticide.  This can combat Carrot Fly and Cucumber Beatle.

I often make an Elderflower Infusion ready for use, as it comes in handy – especially if you have children – a quick dab will help heal cuts and grazes, sun burn, spots, bites and stings!  It truly is an under-used, hidden treasure that thoroughly deserves the title ‘Queen of Herbs’.

For more information on the use of Elder, take a look at Sarah’s latest ebook entitled “The Little Book of Elder” by visiting the website at http://www.theelderbook.com