Black Elderberry Versatile and very healthy, but never raw

Black Elderberry: Versatile and healthy, but not raw

Small, round, shiny, deep purple to black - the berry-like fruits of the black elderberry are great to look at when they hang from April in umbrella-like umbels on the bush. And not only that: The small fruits are full of healthy ingredients, especially potassium and iron and many vitamins are abundant.

The black elder Sambucus nigra is a special plant. For several centuries, especially its flowers and fruits are collected and used for food or for medical purposes. From the small, yellowish-white flowers with the beguiling fragrance, the black fruits develop during the summer. They are only five to six millimeters in size, spherical and hang on dark red stems in umbrella-shaped Trugdolden, which then tend often due to the weight down. The fruits are botanically drupes, not real berries. Each individual fruit contains a woody core with three tiny seeds in strongly colored violet pulp. The contained dark to black-red juice tastes tart-sweet sour. In addition to the wild forms, there are also bred elder varieties for the garden, the fruits are larger and also mature uniformly.

The black elder scores especially with a comparatively high mineral content - especially potassium and magnesium - and provitamin A, some vitamin C and vitamins of the B group, including the vitamin niacin (formerly also called B3). This is important for many metabolic processes in the body. The fruits also contain two other substances that sound similar, but their effects are very different: The dye Sambucyanin is a valuable flavonoid, which is to prevent cardiovascular and cancer diseases. The similar-sounding sambunigrin, on the other hand, is a herbal toxin that releases hydrogen cyanide. The toxin is found in the seeds of ripe fruits, in unripe fruits as well as in green fruit stalks and leaves. Eating raw fruits or products made from them, such as juice, can cause vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Since the toxin breaks down by heating, it is important to heat the ripe fruit or juice to over 80 degrees Celsius. The sambunigrin then loses its toxic effect. Then all the other healthy ingredients of the low-calorie elderberry come into play. They strengthen the immune system, support important functions in the body and help to rebuild the mineral balance, for example, after a gastrointestinal disease.

After sufficient heating, the precious fruits can be used in the kitchen in many ways. They are very good with juice, syrup or jelly process, but also jam, compote, cold dishes and sauces are a treat. If you like, you can also use the fruit to make mousse, sorbet, ice cream or punch, wine or liqueur. And not only sweet food can be produced well, also to savory dishes such as game taste the elderberry fruits. Industrially, they are used, inter alia, for the production of juices, wine, fruit fillings or fruit spirit.

Tip: Elderflower can be found for example at weekly markets and in the farmyard sale. Those who collect them should be careful not to confuse the black elder shrub with the dwarf elder (Sambucus ebulus) or the red elder (Sambucus racemosa). The fruits of the dwarf elderberry are inedible, those of the red elderberry can be used only after removing the seeds, because the contained toxin does not decompose by heating. If in doubt, you should first ask a specialist. If you are sure that it is Black Elderberry, harvest the ripe fruits by cutting the whole umbels with scissors - preferably with rubber gloves to avoid stubborn stains. The umbels are washed thoroughly and then streaked with a fork from the stems.