2017 Elderberries

[Stressbaby]

It's looking like a good year for elderberries for us. I might not have to go off-site for any this year.

How do the elderberries look in your area?

 

[geek]

What part of the country is that; although I never made wine with that fruit I heard it is very good.

 

[salcoco]

you can make elderberry wine from dried elderberries available on the web. check out Jack Keller's web site for recipe.

 

[cmason1957]

My six bushes here in Missouri, also look wonderful. We are going to have a bumper crop. Probably some to sell.

 

[Stressbaby]

@geek,
Like @cmason1957, I'm in Missouri, central Missouri, not far from Columbia.

 

[davemo]

I am in mo to , close to Hermann mo. Drinking a glass of some Elder/Black i made last yr, its very good. I had several request from guys i work with to "Gift" them a bottle or 2 for Memorial Weekend, most had tried it before and were very pleased

 

[hounddawg]

if you jinx me I'll not be happy with you,
but mine look like a record year, knock on wood,
Dawg

It's looking like a good year for elderberries for us. I might not have to go off-site for any this year.

How do the elderberries look in your area?

 

[hounddawg]

the ones above are Missouri I'm just below them in Arkansas, if you don't have elderberries then you can get some concentrate from www.homewinery.com
1 concentrate good for 5 gallons, but if you call them you can buy 1 concentrate and 1 pint,, my 2016 was started JANUARY 2016, I opened a bottle and man talk about good, I have 9 bushes, and good lord willing they are loaded, but in bad years I use homewinery.com it is much stronger then that bought in cans, if any one aint sure about their elderberry I'm not above begging for a bottle from any one, cough only to test it for you cough::

Dawg

What part of the country is that; although I never made wine with that fruit I heard it is very good.

 

[hounddawg]

the ones above are Missouri I'm just below them in Arkansas, if you don't have elderberries then you can get some concentrate from www.homewinery.com
1 concentrate good for 5 gallons, but if you call them you can buy 1 concentrate and 1 pint,, my 2016 was started JANUARY 2016, I opened a bottle and man talk about good, I have 9 bushes, and good lord willing they are loaded, but in bad years I use homewinery.com it is much stronger then that bought in cans, if any one aint sure about their elderberry I'm not above begging for a bottle from any one, cough only to test it for you cough::

Dawg

What part of the country is that; although I never made wine with that fruit I heard it is very good.

 

[Pavel314]

A blend of elderberries and concord grapes is good. The elderberries add depth to the taste of the wine. We just had some the other night; I made it in 2001 and it's still very good and mellowed out.

Paul

 

[Pavel314]

I just noticed the other day that our elderberry bushes have a lot of flowers this year. We used to have a lot of bushes around the property but most died out several years ago. Hope they're making a comeback, I like elderberry wine, elderberry mead, and a grape/elderberry blend.

Paul
Maryland, costal area north east of Baltimore.

 

[Norton]

I have four bushes in Central Missouri. I usually follow the EC Krauss recipe. Three of them are looking pretty good. They are about 4 years old. Any suggestions on pruning?

 

[Pavel314]

I never pruned mine, they just grew wild around the farm.

 

[Stressbaby]

Supposedly production declines after three years so you are supposed to thin every year, removing the older canes. So far, I've only been removing the tallest canes, probably not thinning enough.

 

[Pavel314]

Thanks, that's good to know.

 

[cmason1957]

For pruning, first two years do none. Third year remove any you can identify as the years old. Remove any that look woody, remove about one third of the branches. I was given those suggestions by a guy who had grown elderberries for many years commercially.

 

[Mumazilla]

I'm in MO too, and mine look great! As far as pruning, with the old canes, you can cut them off in February and just stick them into the ground and they will root, either a long cane or cut them up into 6-8" pieces. You can cut them off at the ground each year. I like them taller where the deer can't reach them. Going to start a batch of Elderflower mead this weekend!

 

[WI_Wino]

Here are mine:

Just planted this year. 6 bushes, we'll see how they do!

 

[cmason1957]

Elderberries are nearly weeds. They will do great. I started mine just like that and now have 6 plants that are huge. Almost make a privacy fence for me.

 

[cmason1957]

I was sitting on my deck this evening, drinking an elderberry wine and decided to take a picture of four of my elderberries and some of my blackberries. That fence is about 6'6" tall.