Elder

The season for Elder starts in April and ends in roughly October. The offering changes during this time with the flowers being available from April and the berries starting to become available from late August.

Season:

Look:

The leaves on an elder tree are long, almost ovular shape with serrated edges and grow in pairs along a central stem leading to one singular leaf at the tip. The flowers when in bloom grow in umbels of tiny delicate flowers and are white and frothy looking. When in fruit the berries grow in the same umbel formation but droop down more like clusters, the berries are dark purple, almost black.

Habitat:

Elder grows commonly in the UK and can be found in hedgerows, gardens and woodlands, they only require a good amount of light to thrive.

Edibility:

The flowers and the fruit are edible from an elder tree. The flowers have a delicate floral flavour when infused and are commonly used to make cordials and wines. The berries are also edible but need to be cooked first due to their cyanide inducing properties. The berries are good to turn into syrups, jams, ketchups and wines as these methods will involve heating. No other parts of the tree should be eaten.