A Late Summer Foraging Treasure
After spending the last year building our house, this year has been all about the groundwork. What started as simply laying drains quickly turned into clearing and managing the land. It's been incredibly hard work, but it's also been full of unexpected discoveries.
One of my favourite finds? An elder tree… well, three actually!
Apparently, elder trees love company. They often grow together, and having neighbouring trees can lead to better pollination, healthier growth, and a more abundant crop of berries.
As summer draws to a close, the delicate elderflowers of early summer transform into clusters of tiny green berries. By late August and into September, these ripen into heavy, drooping bunches of deep purple elderberries – the perfect ingredient for a delicious homemade cordial to welcome the start of autumn.
Before You Go Foraging…
Before I picked my first berry, I discovered there are a few really important safety tips worth knowing.
Never Eat Elderberries Raw
Although elderflowers are commonly enjoyed fresh in cordials and fritters, raw elderberries are different. They naturally contain compounds that can produce cyanide when eaten raw. The good news is that cooking them thoroughly destroys these compounds, making them perfectly safe to enjoy.
Remove Every Stem
The green stems, leaves and twigs are also toxic for both people and dogs. Before cooking, carefully strip every berry from its stalks, making sure no pieces of green stem make it into your pan.
How Do You Know They're Ready?
Picking at the right time makes all the difference.
Look for berries that are:
- Deep, even colour – almost black, dark purple or rich burgundy with no green, pink or red berries remaining.
- Heavy, drooping clusters – ripe berries become so full of juice that the whole head hangs down.
- Plump and slightly soft – they should feel juicy rather than hard. Avoid shrivelled berries.
- Easy to remove – ripe berries come away from the stems with very little effort.
If you're unsure whether they're quite ripe enough, simply leave them for a few more days.
A Little Extra Safety Tip
If you're not completely confident you've removed every tiny piece of stem, you can simply cook the berries for around 30 minutes instead of 20 for extra peace of mind.
Elderberry Cordial Recipe
A lovely small batch to try first.
Ingredients
- 200g ripe elderberries (completely removed from stems)
- 260ml water
- A pinch of cinnamon (optional)
- 120g coconut sugar or honey
Method
- Place the elderberries, water and cinnamon (if using) into a small saucepan.
- Simmer gently over a low heat for around 20 minutes, until the berries are soft and have completely broken down.
- Strain through a fine sieve or muslin cloth, pressing the fruit well to extract every drop of that beautiful deep purple juice.
- Return the liquid to the clean pan and stir in the coconut sugar or honey. Warm gently until dissolved.
- Pour into a sterilised bottle or jar and allow to cool before refrigerating.
How Long Does It Keep?
Using coconut sugar or honey creates a wonderfully natural cordial, but because these are less refined than white cane sugar, they aren't quite as effective at preserving fruit.
Keep your cordial in the refrigerator and enjoy within 2–3 weeks, or freeze it if you'd like it to last longer.
If you're looking for a cordial with a much longer shelf life, use white cane sugar instead, as its higher sucrose content acts as a better natural preservative.
This is my very first elderberry harvest, so I'm learning as I go. It's one of the joys of restoring the land around our home—every season brings something new to discover. From finding three beautiful elder trees hidden amongst the overgrowth to turning those berries into something delicious, it's been a lovely reminder that sometimes the best rewards come from slowing down and noticing what's already growing around us.