Elder (Sambucus nigra)

Where: Hedgerow & roadside, especially disturbed ground. Common throughout UK.

What: Flowers & berries

When: Flowers: May – July; Berries: August – September

The Elder is a very versatile plant, having 2 distinct crops each year – the flowers and the berries. I shall go into more detail abut the berries in the autumn when they appear, and this post shall be concentrate on the flower only.

The Elder occurs as a small tree, up to 6m high, but more commonly as a rather untidy shrub measuring up to 3m in height, and occupying, almost exclusively, hedgerows and roadsides. It thrives on disturbed, nitrogen rich, soils, so agricultural land is especially favoured. It is fairly easy to recognise, especially in the early summer when it is full of the characteristic flowers. 

The leaves are formed from 2 or 3 pairs of opposite leaflets with a single terminal leaflet. Spear-shaped or broadly elliptical, they are a deep green colour, paler underneath, clearly veined and shiny with a serrated edge, and measuring up to 10cm long and 5cm wide. The tree has grey-brown bark, with deep vertical cracks, and is fairly soft to the touch.

The pale yellow flowers that are so visible from late May to mid-July are umbrella-shaped, face upwards, and measure up to 20cm across. These umbels are, in fact, made up of 100s of tiny individual flowers, each measuring less than 0.5cm across, and comprised of 5 yellowish-white petals with tiny yellow stamens in the centre. They have what is described as a ‘heady’ fragrance – vaguely fruity, the smell can be quite sharp with a hint of must and floral notes… or something. Other people say it smells like death and cat wee! The smell is particularly strong after a few hours in the sun, so pick according to how much you like it – I personally am not totally convinced about the taste/smell, I keep trying it, but… Kate, however, loves it!

It is these flowers that you will need to pick if you want to make your champagne or cordial, so get picking. Pick only the bright yellow-white coloured umbels; they go a darker colour to brown as they age, and develop an insipid stale flavour that is not pleasant, and use them immediately as they do not keep. Alternatively, place them in a warm dry place to dry them, and then store in jars, etc. ensuring a steady supply of Elderflowers long past the season. For those of you, like myself, who are not sure whether or not you like the flavour, try mixing different fruit into to recipe for cordial – we tried orange, which can be recommended. If anyone has any other suggestions, let us know via the ForagersGuide email, and we can publish the recipe. 

Elderflower (Sambucus nigra)