Elderberry season...

It is somewhat shocking how close September is... just a little over a week away! Though I do look forward to autumn, and an end to the heat and humidity, it is always bittersweet to be aware of how quickly time passes. In a few weeks, the lonesome call of Canadian geese heading southward will be filling the air, as well as their V-formations.

The flower gardens have flourished this year, but so have the weeds. It's been a struggle keeping ahead of them, and I've just about lost that battle. There is an abundance of apples and blackberries, yet only a few pears on the trees. The raspberries are coming on again after the first early flush gave up due to the heat and lack of rain. The vegetable garden suffered immensely from chipmunks and red squirrels... I have never seen as many as there's been this year.

Now, the elderberries have begun to ripen, I noted as I watched a bird stealing beak-fulls of them the other morning, so I plucked off enough to make a batch each of Elderberry Syrup and Elderberry Tincture. The tincture will be ready to use in about 6 to 8 weeks... just in time, as flu season starts in October. If the birds don't eat all the berries, I will dehydrate some as they continue to ripen, although I have a quart of dried berries still from last year as back up. (NOTE: If using dried elderberries instead of fresh, use half the given amount.)

To make either, gather the berries when they are dark, deep purple... almost black.Simply twist the whole stem and it should snap the complete umbrel of berries off.

In the photo above, you can see the ripe berries towards the center. Below shows just what you're aiming for.

I find it's easy to strip the elderberries off by grasping the main stem, and using a fork turned upside down around the smaller stems to pull off the berry clumps.

I am making Elderberry Syrup here, and I ended up with roughly a cup of berries. I put these in a pot, added three cups of water, and brought the mixture to a boil. (I often add a 2 inch chunk of fresh ginger root and a 1 inch chunk of fresh echinacea root which I slice into small pieces at this point, too.)  Reduce to a simmer for about a half-hour, mashing the berries as the heat softens them, then take off the stove and let sit for about an hour.

Strain through a few layers of cheesecloth, squeezing the cooled berries to release the juice. There will be some pulp and a lot of seeds remaining... I just toss them into the compost pile.

Next, mix in about a half-cup up to one cup of pure, raw honey and mix well. If you desire, you may add a half-cup of brandy, but I did not. I just poured the Elderberry Syrup into an 8 ounce bottle, capped it and stored it in the refrigerator. It should keep for about two months. To use Elderberry Syrup, I take a teaspoonful daily from mid-October through March. If I feel I'm coming down with something, I'll take that dosage two or three times per day.

To make a simple Elderberry Tincture, I put the prepared berries in mason jar, cover with brandy (or vodka), cap the bottle and store in my cool, dark pantry for about 4 to 6 weeks, gently swirling the bottle every few days to mix it. I take a half-teaspoon every day once I've run out of the syrup.

A Tree Story

This is a tale of a tree that has stood watch upon a little hill for over 70 years. A common Red Maple, it was planted by Garner Tripp  in the 1940's or 1950's, on the southern side of his hunting camp,. Garner's cabin burned to the ground a few decades later, but his growing tree withstood the fire. We bought his property in 1983, built our house a year later in pritnear the same spot his cabin had stood on, and that same maple continued to watch over our home, too. Throughout the years, its arms have cradled numerous bird feeders, swings, birds, squirrels, chipmunks, climbing children, and an occasional raccoon. In spring, thousands of its whirlybird seeds spin down, blanketing everything below. In summer, its thick arms create a cool, shady respite where the porch swing hangs. Come autumn, its boughs hold a full bounty of colorful foliage, soon tossed to the ground and scattered by the wind. And all winter long, a wild assortment of creatures and birds find food in and under the many feeders adorning its branches.

Many days over the past several years, as I sit in the porch swing, I've noted the tree is not as full as it once was. In gusty winds, large branches snap off and shatter to the ground like broken bones. The canopy of  leaves is shockingly thinner with each passing year. It is a sad fact that this beautiful maple tree is dying. At first, I avoided thinking that the tree's years were numbered, but as time has passed by, I realize that this tree may not outlive me. 

I reminisce of the companion tree that was lost when building our home. The excavator had dug too close to the roots of this other maple, ultimately leading to its demise a few years later. The majority of the tree was used for firewood, but I cut some of the branches into building blocks for my young children. Now, our grandchildren have recently outgrown playing with them. When the time comes to cut down this frail maple, some parts of it will be saved for memory's sake.

It is hard to picture the hole that this silent sentinel's absence will leave, not only in my heart, but in the landscape itself. The circumference of the tree is close to 100 inches, and the amount of cooling shade and protection it casts over the house, lawn and gardens seems immeasurable. The time has come to plant another tree alongside this one, to allow the new one to grow for a few years before the old maple is laid to rest.

May 2019

May again! It seems we've jumped from the new year to maple syrup season, and right to getting the gardens in order. Spring is a chaotic season in comparison to the solitude and peacefulness that accompanies winter. My dear friend Barb put in an order for onions, and I got mine all in, as well as some shallots and a few dozen strawberry plants. The stored-in-the-cellar dahlias, tuberose, and gladiolus were hauled up this week and given a once-over and sorted. Today was spent planting them, along with a half-dozen new blueberry bushes. Between the rain, I've managed to lay down straw to mulch for weed control between the rhubarb, horseradish, asparagus and strawberries. Seeds are started, and coming up... even with the lack of warm weather and all the rain we've been getting. Finally got my new egg house built and opened for the season, too. I'm feeling accomplished but in reality, I'm just trying to stay ahead of the game! All through the winter, we've been inundated with squirrels... red, grey, and one black squirrel too. Between them, the chipmunks, and the deer, they've wreaked havoc on a number of apple trees, lilac bushes, and crab apples; some of which will need to be replaced. I worry about the certain damage they will cause in the berry and vegetable gardens when things get growing.

Still in all, I am grateful for the changing seasons... the predictability and comfort each brings, like a visit from an old friend. I never tire of hearing the Canadian geese returning, or the peepers call out in the pond and swamps. It is a pleasure to see the various songbirds coming back to the feeders, either to stay for the summer, or just stopping by on their journey northward. I've already seen a few hummingbirds, a couple of rose-breasted grosbeaks, yellow finches, a Carolina wren, hermit thrush, and some bluebirds, along with the regulars from winter! And almost every morning as the sun is coming up, I've been hearing a loon flying west to east, but only for a few minutes. 

As spring slowly creeps across the countryside, native wildflowers appear to brighten a short hike through the fields and woods. The coltsfoot and pussywillows have already gone by, and are being replaced with wood violets, hepetica, bloodroot, cowslips, and beautiful masses of dandelions... each one with a small pollinator in it's center! I've noted numerous skunk cabbage along the edges of the wetlands. The old muskrat is back in the pond, as well as the pair of woodchucks who live under the barn. The pond is teaming with pollywogs, salamanders, turtles, water boatmen, a great blue heron, and a pair each of Canadian geese and wild ducks. Soon the lilacs will be blooming, along with the apple, pear and cherry trees. I hope we stave off the threat of a late frost for their sake. It's been a few years since we've had enough apples for cider.

Yes, spring creeps back in with uncertainty, dragging her feet through the mud as she comes. The only thing predictable about her is her unpredictability!