To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Sambucus racemosa
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2004 20:12:26 -0700
The book Plants of Coastal British Columbia, including Washington,
Oregon and Alaska, by Pojar and MacKinnon has a lot of ethnobotanical
information.
This is what it says of Sambucus racemosa ssp pubens var.
arborescens, which grows along the coast from Alaska to Oregon:
a highly important food for the peoples of the central and northern
coast, though few people use them today. They should always be
cooked, as raw berries may cause nausea. They were sometimes boiled
to make a sauce or cooked with the stems intact. The stems and seeds
were discarded later. The berries make an excellent, tangy jelly, and
some people make wine from them, but they should always be cooked for
this purpose. Caches of red elderberries have been found in
archaeological sites dating back hundreds of years. The stems, bark,
leaves and roots, especially in fresh plants, are toxic due to the
presence of cyanide-producing glycosides.
Diane Whitehead Victoria, B.C. who likes Oregon grape for tangy
jelly, and hasn't tried red elderberry.