I live in BC and would like to find elderberries. Anyone know where I can find them?

Elderberries used to grow wild in the Southeastern area of the US, but they were wiped out mostly by some sort of blight.  If you can find some growing wild they make delicious jam and jelly. But, boy, do they ever stain everything in sight. I guess using them would be somewhat risky, though, because unless you know what they look like there is another plant called something like pokeweed that has somewhat similar berries on them and they are poisonous. Austrians cultivate this fine bush/tree -- what is wrong with us over here, anyway? We need some elderberries!  

I live in BC too. Was able to find some dried organic elderberries in bulk at one of the larger health food stores on Vancouver Island. They also sell pure elderberry supplements. The store is about 3 hours from where I live so the supplements come in handy when I run out of the dried berries.

Thanks, Spring and Teri.

Pokeweed. Isn't that edible....like in the song "Poke salad Annie"

Teri, What was the health food store you found them at on the Island.  My SIL lives in Nanaimo. Dried organic ones sound good to me.

Maybe someone in my garden club has a tree.

Quoted from GillianR

Teri, What was the health food store you found them at on the Island.  My SIL lives in Nanaimo. Dried organic ones sound good to me.

The one with the berries is in Courtenay, about an hour north of Nanaimo...

Edible Island Whole Foods Market (477 6th Street, Courtenay, BC, 250.334.3116)

There is a pretty good one in Nanaimo worth checking out too, though not quite as "hard core" as the one in Courtenay...

Island Natural Market (6560 Metral Drive Nanaimo, BC, 250.390.1955)

Thank-you! I am happy just thinking about the little berries.

Quoted from 2330

Austrians cultivate this fine bush/tree -- what is wrong with us over here, anyway? We need some elderberries!  

It is basically a weed here when I moved in in this house 7 years afo I had to cut down so many trees..to see my house- now I have 2 trees at the hen house that is enough .
Elders looks so pretty when the bloom.
The one that is really good is the
Sambucus nigra- and tyhe one that is most common ( at least here)
but read more here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elderberry

I was given 2 elderberry bushes as a gift last year. I am hoping to see some fruit this year.
May I ask for what you are going to use them?  There's the Proberry Capsules and Liquid if you are just looking for the immune building part of them. They are at NAP, if you're not aware.  

You can buy elderberry juice Concentrate at most hfs.

Poke weed is good for salads, but the berry is poison.

Quoted from GillianR

Thanks, Spring and Teri.

Pokeweed. Isn't that edible....like in the song "Poke salad Annie"

Teri, What was the health food store you found them at on the Island.  My SIL lives in Nanaimo. Dried organic ones sound good to me.

Maybe someone in my garden club has a tree.

Nope, pokeweed berries are poisonous.    The leaves are edible, though.

I checked out the site and , guess what , raw elderberries are poisonous, too.

"Both flowers and berries can be made into elderberry wine, and in Hungary an elderberry brandy is produced (requiring 50 kg of fruit to produce 1 litre of brandy). The alcoholic drink sambuca is made by infusing elderberries[citation needed] and anise into alcohol. The berries are best not eaten raw as they are mildly poisonous, causing vomiting, particularly if eaten unripe. The mild cyanide toxicity is destroyed by cooking. The berries can also be made into jam, pies or Pontack sauce. All green parts of the plant are poisonous, containing cyanogenic glycosides (Vedel & Lange 1960).

The flowers may be used to make an herbal tea, which is believed as a remedy for colds and fever. In Europe, the flowers are made into a syrup or cordial (in Romanian: Socată), which is diluted with water before drinking.  The flowers can also be used to make a mildly alcoholic, sparkling elderflower 'champagne'."

I had elderflower cordial in England 3 years ago and loved it. My relatives looked at me askance when I raved about it. They were offering it to the kids instead of tea. My kids had tea!! I found some here and was all excited when Zellers started to carry it but then they sold it all off. Guess no one knew what it was!!

Italybound, I want to eat the berries (cooked , I guess) and make my own cordial from the flowers. How old does the tree have to be before you get the berries?

Quoted from GillianR

Italybound, I want to eat the berries (cooked , I guess) and make my own cordial from the flowers. How old does the tree have to be before you get the berries?

I really don't know how long..........will need to check that out. I think the raw elderberry is very bitter, so I doubt one would eat many of them in that state anyway
Interesting article......... even tho it is a site selling a supplement, it has a lot of info http://www.gymratz.co.uk/bodybuilding-supplements/item152.htm

more info on cats claw..just ordered 3 bottles of this myself.......I hear it is also good for dogs w/ arthritis problems........prob other animals as well.
http://organicpharmacy.org/search.php?searchterm=Cat%27s+Claw+%225000%22&x=7&y=14

info on the elderberry bush. http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Sambucus+nigra
I'm pretty sure this is the ones I have, but won't swear to it. If I remember correctly, some varieties of elderberry are not for eating, period.

Quoted from GillianR

I checked out the site and , guess what , raw elderberries are poisonous, too. ..

There are many kinds of Elderberries - Some have more toxins than others when eaten fresh without any processing...All have been used as food however.

Depending on where you are in BC they may be more or less common. Yo want the Blue opr Black varieties. Its the red ones in the PNW that have disagreeable components - But they can also be used with a little perseverence.

I was born and raised in Vancouver (living in Edmonton now, there's more bison here lol) and the "Circling Dawn" on Commercial drive used to carry bulk dried black/purple/blue coloured Elderberries. I hope you find some: They make a very nice tea!

I was able to order some elderberries from a local healthfood store. They are tiny berries full of seeds that have very little flavour. I guess I was expecting something juicier like small raisins.   Silly me. Hopefully the real berries are better. Hmmm. If that was the case wouldn't a bunch of people have been raving about them by now? They actually said, "Sambucus Nigra" on the package. Too dried up to plant I would expect.   (Thimbleberry: The Circling Dawn is still there but I didn't get into Vancouver to try it yet.) .

Still haven't found elderberry concentrate anywhere yet, although there is elderberry in my favourite juice (Oasis).

Quoted from GillianR

Still haven't found elderberry concentrate anywhere yet, although there is elderberry in my favourite juice (Oasis).

I have a bottle of cough/cold syrup with wild elderberry. Brand name is Sambu Guard from Switzerland. Importer is listed as "Flora Manufacturing and Distributing Ltd. 7400 Frazier Park Dr, Burnaby BC. V5J-5B9"

Would be available in BC. I hope.

I have a bottle of that too, shoulderblade, so yes it is available in bc.  I've not opened it yet though.  

Elderberries are abundant in the UK, growing wild.  Never hear of anyone deliberately cultivating them.  We used to make the cordial from the flowers and wine from the berries.  Their biggest nuisance is when the birds eat them and use your car or washing as target practise.

Quoted from Gumby

I have a bottle of that too, shoulderblade, so yes it is available in bc.  I've not opened it yet though.  

Neither have I. Its rather expensive so I keep it in the fridge for emergency purposes.

I have some dried elderberry in gel caps and tea for regular use.

Quoted from shoulderblade

Sambu Guard

what I'm seeing, this product has fructose and Echinacea in it....both avoids for O's unless something has changed.  
and ascorbic acid, not the best source of Vit C for O's.

Quoted from 1586

Elderberries are abundant in the UK, growing wild.  Never hear of anyone deliberately cultivating them.  We used to make the cordial from the flowers and wine from the berries.

Reminds me of the line in The Holy Grail: "Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries!"

benifit

Quoted from italybound

what I'm seeing, this product has fructose and Echinacea in it....both avoids for O's unless something has changed.  
and ascorbic acid, not the best source of Vit C for O's.

I got it as an emergency item. Have not opened it and hopefully never will.

I rarely buy anything processed anymore but given my options here (ie. not many) this will do.

Quoted from italybound

what I'm seeing, this product has fructose and Echinacea in it....both avoids for O's unless something has changed.  
and ascorbic acid, not the best source of Vit C for O's.

There are other sources for this product that have different ingredients with the elderberry. One that comes to mind is called Sambucol. Some come without any sweetener at all and no vitamin C.

For my part, elderberry caps work just as well as the syrup and I have been using elderberry in both forms for many years. If you need something for your throat, one capsule makes a cup of tea. Easy, easy and cheap! I haven't had a cold in over ten years. I had a terrific amount of stress then or I wouldn't have gotten that one.