2014 Elderberries

[Julie]

Elderberry bushes are looking promising this year.

Yes they are. There seems to be a good crop this year, enough for me and the birds!

 

[ffemt128]

Elderberry bushes are starting to get big red berries on them...Should be ready to start picking in a couple weeks.

 

[spunk]

So are these ripe seem more red they do have red juice when squished

 

[cmason1957]

Are the birds eating them? If they are, then they are ready. They look really, really close.

 

[Scott]

Should get a little darker in color and be fairly easy to shake off the stems, heck a few of mine still have blooms and the rest are with a pretty small berries. As said by cmason the birds know when too!

 

[ffemt128]

I pick them when they are a deep purple to almost black in appearance. The really ripe ones will sink in water.

 

[Julie]

So are these ripe seem more red they do have red juice when squished

No they have a couple more weeks to go, look Ffemt said, pick them when they are a deep purple.

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

Our elderberry picking page - http://wvmjack.com/Elderberries/ElderberriesHarvest.html

 

[spunk]

Thanks for all the great info. I will wait to pick then.

 

[mikewatkins727]

Been following this thread as I have elderberries also. Grabbed my refractometer and checked sugar content. Measured 10% sugar. Have/do any one check their elderberry sugar %? What should sugar % be for fermenting? Your thoughts please.

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

RIpe elderberries sink as the sugar in them make the berries heavier than water while the unripe ones float, you can use this to seperate out the unripe from ripe berries. I dont think I have ever had the ripe berries. I dont think berries every get sweeter than about 1.04-1.045 gravity, you have to pick them when most are ready, you will know you were to late when they fall off the stems as you try to pick them. WVMJ

 

[ffemt128]

RIpe elderberries sink as the sugar in them make the berries heavier than water while the unripe ones float, you can use this to seperate out the unripe from ripe berries. I dont think I have ever had the ripe berries. I dont think berries every get sweeter than about 1.04-1.045 gravity, you have to pick them when most are ready, you will know you were to late when they fall off the stems as you try to pick them. WVMJ

Are you keeping the sinkers as well as the darker floaters? I could have alot more berries. I usually end up tossing a lb or so each picking. I usually go out every Saturday morning when they get ready...

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

The idea Fermcalc guy is that the ripe berries sink, you want to keep them and the unripe ones float and even some ripe ones with something wrong with them float so let them all go, you want quality. Also you still have to look thru the sinkers a little, sometimes a greenie will sink. Our elderberry site has some more vids on harvesting for fun. WVMJ

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEfxhnDqGsQ[/ame]

 

[ffemt128]

Driving past the one batch this am, they are looking very dark in color now. May have to stop on the way home from work one day and start picking... My primary location is starting to get red now also. 2 weeks I'll definately be in picking season.. I can't wait...

 

[ffemt128]

Any luck at all I'll be making my first of many weekend picking runs next week.

 

[ffemt128]

I went and picked berries from one location today. I managed to get 58 lbs 3 oz of berries. Will hit same location next weekend in hopes of the same haul. I had about 1 1/2 cups of floaters which were tossed.

 

[Julie]

Well with all this talk about picking elderberries and mine still hS a couple weeks to go, I opened a bottle of Msy 2012, oh is this good.

 

[ffemt128]

Well with all this talk about picking elderberries and mine still hS a couple weeks to go, I opened a bottle of Msy 2012, oh is this good.

I seriously considered opening either a 2011 or a 2010 elderberry as I was destemming the berries. Instead I had a bottle of 2013 Destiny that was already chilled from the weekend.

 

[Stressbaby]

I have been picking for a week or so and I seem to have a disproportionately high percentage of floaters. If I wait until they are black, I get fewer floaters but greater loss to birds.
How do you all time your picking?

 

[ffemt128]

I have been picking for a week or so and I seem to have a disproportionately high percentage of floaters. If I wait until they are black, I get fewer floaters but greater loss to birds.
How do you all time your picking?

Most of the plants are within 5 miles of my house. Once they start getting ripe, I'll drive by them every 3-4 days. and then plan to plic every weekend until there is nothing worth picking. The batch yesterday, I drive by the area almost every day. Once they are ripe, I get quite obsessed with getting the berries.