Ask the Elder mothers permission (Elder)

Member Name: mumsymary

Product:	Elder
Date:	12/06/07 (243 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Makes goood wine

Disadvantages: /.

Elder Sambucus nigra one of the Caprifoliaceae plant family is a native of Britain , it is found in Europe, Asia, North Africa, Elder has been naturalized in the United States too,

I expect you will recognise an Elder it is a Small tree/shrub it grows to 9 metres (30ft) tall. It grows on many a waste space in countryside and town.
Elder likes a rich soil. There a couple of Elder species the one we are talking about is the Sambucus canadensis) and not the Sambucus pubens the later has red berries and is not nice in fact I think it may be poisonous ...

If you see an Elder now in the beginning of June it is covered with clusters of small white flowers. Smell them and they smell like what I think of as a sugary cats wee it’s not very nice really a bit overwhelming.

This tree /bush are a deciduous one. Its leaves grow opposite each other. Each leaf is about 5-30 cm long and is made out of 5 to 9 leaflets these have a serrated edge.
The twigs /wood of the Elder tree are very bendy it’s flexible. If you break it inside is full of white pith.

The Elder flowers will turn into a fruit; small blue black berries adorn the Elder.

Elder has many culinary uses, also has a lot of folk law attached to it.
First let me tell you about human consumption.

Yes I have in the past made many a bottle of wine from both the elder flower and the Elder berry.

The elderflower makes white wine it is a delicious light white wine very summery.
You can make a non alcoholic elderflower champagne or cordial using elderflowers, sugar, water, lemons and, white vinegar there are many recipes on the internet for some non alcoholic recipes at http://www.thbs.intas.net/Kids_recipe_page.htm.
Recipes for alcoholic drinks at http://www.selfsufficientish.com/elderflowercordia l.htm#wine

A treat you could make with elderflowers is elderflower fritters make a batter using 1 egg 1 teaspoon rose water 1/2 cup honey 2 tablespoons brandy1 cup self-rising flour 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon dip some flowers into the batter and fry them . This would be good if you made a few of the fritters with small pieces of apple and mint too.

There are many elderflower recipes on line; I noticed one for elderflower ice cream.

The Elderberry is ready to pick after the flowers in July through to early September

You probably will not want to eat the elderberry raw it tastes very sharp quite tart. Cooked and made in to recipes though they are delicious.

Elderberries are really nice made into a wine the result is a very port like wine I have a recipe for you at http://www.hopshopuk.com/recipes/elderberry.html. There are many sites offering elderflower and elderberry wine recipes.
Basically an n elderberry wine is just water elderberry and sugar.

Now the other thing I like to do with elderberries is to add some to apple and blackberry crumbles. A good crumble can be made with a mix of raspberries apples and elderberries.
You could make an elderberry jelly/jam I have added elderberries to black berries and apples to make jellies and jams. . I prefer to add them to another fruit rather than make a complete dish from Elderberry.

Rather than me listing all the recipes, (also I never weigh ingredients) there is a good site for elderberry recipes
Now I have your appetites whetted pick some elderflowers today and make a fritter or some elderflower cordial.

You can buy wines and teas made from elderflower and berries so you do not have to be a culinary wizard Wittards make an elderflower tea.


Now onto the folk law about Elder.
An Elder is reported to have magical qualities. There is one piece of historical religious use I thought I would tell you Judas is reported to have hung himself from the Elder tree

The word elder comes from aeld which is the Anglo Saxon word for fire. .The pith from the centre of an elder twig is easily removed and the twig was used to make bellows for the fire. . They do make good blow pipes too.

If you are fearful of evil then grow an elder on your land or place bunches of twigs around your house if you are very fearful wear some Elder it will protect you.
Make your magic wand from Elder it will ward of evil attacks.

Apparently Elder will protect your land from negative energy and lightning attacks too.
Stand under the Elder tree in midsummer and you will see the little fol,k fairies and elves.
If you are going to prune , break or take a twig from the Elder tree please ask permission of the tree as there is an elder mother living within the tree trunk, if you do not ask her permission she gets angry.
If you burn elder in your hearth it is supposed to bring bad luck in reality elder does not burn well any way

There are so many flolk law and wiccan laws and tales surrounding the Elder tree.
An Elder tree has the persona of both an elder mother who will protect and heal you or a witch who will get angry if you cut her.

I found http://druidry.org/obod/trees/elder.html had lots of interesting references

So go protect yourself with elder or make your elderflower wine or fritters but remember to ask the Elder mothers permission when you take or break a twig .

Summary: A treee that has many flok tales al;so provcides fruit for deliscious wine