Everywhere I look this week, I see red elderberry in bloom. Usually, it's on the far side of a tangled ditch, or in a mass of those nasty blackberry canes, or just beyond the devil's club. I broke off a small branch in a salmonberry patch, and brought it back to the car.
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| Sambucus racemosa flower stalk. A conical mass of tiny, short-lived, green-scented flowers. |
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| The car window makes a neutral background. |
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| Zooming in. The flowers are from 3 - 6 mm across. |
The flowers will fade soon, and the red berries will be a favourite food for the birds. Not for humans, though; they may be somewhat edible, but raw, they're bitter. Cooked they are said to make good jelly, once the seeds are removed.
In season, my dad used to make elderberrry flower pancakes. He made up his usual pancake batter, then dipped the flower heads, one at a time, into it. Each pancake held one flower head. We loved these.
Sounds like an interesting pancake recipe. - Margy
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