Field Guide · Harvest · 8 min read

Elderberry: Harvest to Syrup

Freeze the clusters, fork the berries off, and cook them properly. Raw elderberries are not safe to eat.

Written on the farm by Nathan Story · Story Thyme Farms, Missouri · Updated

Story Thyme Farms · Bench cardAug–early Sept

Elderberry, harvest to syrup

Sambucus canadensis. Picking, destemming, and a safe syrup

DifficultyEasy, tedious
Rule oneAlways cook the berries
Freezer trickStems comb right off
Simmer20+ minutes
Cook them first. Raw berries, stems and leaves are toxic until simmered for 20 minutes.
1PickingCut whole clusters when they hang dark and heavy
2FreezingBag the clusters and freeze them solid
3Removing the stemsComb the berries off and discard the green ones
4CookingSimmer for at least 20 minutes, never use them raw
5Making the syrupSweeten it, bottle it, and refrigerate it
Materials needed · Pruning snips · Jelly strainer bag · Fine mesh sieve · Swing-top bottles · Freezer bags
Written on the farm · Missouristorythymefarms.com/guides/elderberry-harvest-to-syrup

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The long version

Elderberry clusters on the harvest table at the farm
On the farm · Missouri

Elderberry has two rules. First, pick whole clusters when the berries hang heavy and purple-black. Second, cook them before anyone eats them, because raw berries, stems and leaves contain compounds that release cyanide, and proper cooking destroys them. Everything else is just working efficiently.

  1. Step 1 · Picking

    Cut whole clusters when they hang dark and heavy

    Watercolour plate of a heavy cluster of deep purple-black elderberries drooping on its stem, being snipped whole with shears

    August into early September here. A cluster is ready when nearly every berry is deep purple-black and the whole head sags on its red stems. Cut the entire cluster into a bucket. Leave green berries on the bush, and leave anything with red berries alone, since those are a different plant.

  2. Step 2 · Freezing

    Bag the clusters and freeze them solid

    Watercolour plate of whole elderberry clusters bagged and frozen solid, frost on the dark berries

    Pulling fresh elderberries off their stems takes a whole afternoon. Freeze the clusters whole in bags overnight instead. Frozen berries snap off cleanly when you comb them with a fork, which takes minutes per pound rather than hours, and they keep safely in the freezer until you are ready to make syrup.

  3. Step 3 · Removing the stems

    Comb the berries off and discard the green ones

    Watercolour plate of frozen elderberry clusters being combed with a dinner fork over a wide bowl, dark berries raining off the green stems

    Hold the frozen clusters over a wide bowl and comb them with a dinner fork so the berries fall off. Pick out any stem pieces and green berries, because both are on the do-not-eat list. Floating the berries briefly in cold water will bring the last bits of debris to the top.

  4. Step 4 · Cooking

    Simmer for at least 20 minutes, never use them raw

    Watercolour plate of elderberries simmering in a pot with water, then being strained through a jelly bag into a bowl of dark juice

    Combine the berries with half their volume of water and simmer gently for at least 20 minutes, then mash them and strain through a jelly bag. The simmer breaks most of the toxic compounds down, and taking out every stem and green berry does the rest. Stems carry far more of it than ripe fruit, so those two steps together are what makes it safe. Neither is optional, and no raw-berry recipe is worth the risk.

  5. Step 5 · Making the syrup

    Sweeten it, bottle it, and refrigerate it

    Stir honey into the juice while it is warm but not boiling. We use one cup of honey to two cups of juice. Bottle it and keep it in the refrigerator, where it lasts a couple of months, or freeze it for up to eight months. Do not try to can elderberry syrup. American elderberries are low-acid, around pH 4.9, which is above the safe limit for a boiling-water bath, and there is no tested recipe for canning the syrup. Refrigerate or freeze it. Honey syrup is also not for children under one year old.

Materials needed
Pruning snipsJelly strainer bagFine mesh sieveSwing-top bottlesFreezer bags

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Questions we actually get

How sick can raw elderberries actually make you?
Genuinely sick. Raw berries and especially stems and leaves have caused nausea, vomiting, and hospitalizations. Cooking for 20 minutes destroys the compounds completely. This is the one berry on the farm with a hard cook-first rule.
Which bushes are safe, and what should I not confuse them with?
American elderberry: flat cream flower heads, then drooping clusters of small purple-black berries on red stems. The red-berried elder and upright clusters are not for the kitchen. If a wild bush leaves any doubt, walk on.
Can I dry elderberries instead of making syrup?
Yes, dry them fully and store airtight, they keep a year and more. The cook rule still applies, dried berries get simmered into syrup or tea, not eaten out of the jar.
From the plant library

Elderberry — the full profile

Zones, cold-hardy cultivars, spacing, feeding, and where to buy one already rooted.

Open the elderberry guide →