Foraging elderberries

Yes, but only when cooked, never raw. Raw elderberries, along with the stems, leaves, and bark, contain cyanogenic compounds that can cause nausea and stomach upset, but cooking breaks these down, which is why every traditional recipe simmers the berries. So always cook them, use only the ripe berries (not the green stalks or unripe fruit), and never eat them straight from the tree. Cooked properly, ripe elderberries are perfectly safe and delicious.

In late summer, look for a shrub or small tree with drooping clusters of small, glossy, dark purple to black berries hanging on distinctive reddish-pink stalks, set among compound leaves. Earlier in summer the same plant has flat-topped heads of creamy white flowers. As with all foraging, only pick if you are completely confident, cross-check against a reliable field guide, and ideally learn from an experienced forager first. Never eat anything you cannot identify with certainty.

Plenty. The classic is elderberry syrup, simmered berries strained and sweetened, often spiced, and used as a winter cordial or folk remedy. Beyond that, elderberries make cordials, jams, jellies, country wines, and additions to crumbles and pies (cooked, always). The deep purple juice has a rich, slightly tart flavour. Because a single tree yields so much fruit, foragers often make a big batch of syrup to last the winter, which is one of the most popular uses.

Yes, you want the berries off the stalks and the green stems discarded, since the stalks are best avoided and only the ripe berries should be cooked. It is the tedious part of the process, but pulling a fork down each cluster strips the little berries off efficiently. Discard the green stalks, unripe berries, and any debris. Skipping this and simmering whole stalky clusters would include the parts you should not eat, so the stripping genuinely matters for both safety and flavour.