We will have some elderberries at the market this week. I've been out picking wild elderberries. We planted some this spring, but after I fell, Grampa Tom didn't have enough time to keep up with all the weeding so they got crowded out. They wouldn't have made many this year anyway.
Elderberries are tiny little tart berries that are packed full of all kinds of super immune system building nutrition. They have been used to relieve stress, stomach ailments, high cholesterol and complexion problems.
The results of a clinical trial, published in the International Journal of Medical Research in 2004, showed flu patients given one tablespoon of elderberry extract four times per day recovered in an average of 3.1 days, compared to 7.1 days for those given a placebo. A 1995 study published by the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that nearly 90% of flu patients given elderberry extract were completely free of symptoms within two to three days, as compared to at least six days with a placebo.
It took me a couple of hours to de-stem about 2 1/2 lbs. There are machines that can do it faster. I'm going to try to plant a few again this fall. We met a guy last fall who has 35 acres of them. He makes pretty good money on them, but he has one of those machines!
God Bless You All!
~Grama Sue
