Elegant elderberry
This underused shrub (Sambucus canadensis) is native to eastern North America. It has few serious pests or diseases, thrives in poorly drained soil, lives in Zones 3 to 9, and produces clusters of Vitamin C-rich fruit. If groomed to remove dead wood and wayward shoots, elderberry makes an attractive small landscape tree or large shrub, which grows up to 8 feet tall and 8 to 12 feet wide. Elderberries tend to send up new shoots from the roots and create thickets, but individual stems usually live for only a few years. Prune these stems out when they become unproductive.
Elderberries bloom in the late spring, producing 8- to 12-inch-wide, flat-topped clusters of flowers that nearly cover the plant. Elderflowers are used to make wine and a delicate liquor. You can also dip them in batter and fry them into fritters. The dark purple berries ripen in late summer. You can eat the berries raw, but they contain large seeds. I boil and strain the berries to collect the juice for jelly. Mixed with apple juice, they make a beautiful, clear, deep pink to wine-colored jelly. The St. Lawrence Nurseries (see Chapter 16) catalog suggests boiling a pint of juice with 21/ cups of sugar and 10 whole cloves, and serving it over ice for stomach ailments and colds. I mix a similar concoction with sparkling water for a natural soft drink. Elderberry wine is another possibility, of course.
Plant elderberries in moist soil and full sun. For best fruiting, plant two different varieties or seedlings. Wild seedlings are adequate for my garden, but several good improved varieties exist, with larger and more numerous berries. These varieties include Kent, York, Nova, and Johns.
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