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Thread: Green fingered help

  1. #81
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    Re: Green fingered help

    We planted a couple of Foxgloves and a Buddleia this weekend. The Foxgloves are now known as "Shrek's ears".
    Now we can look forward to lots of butterflies and bees as they continue to flower.

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    Re: Green fingered help

    Could this be the greatest invention ever
    imagine all the plants ( and weeds) in your garden, having a bar code

    Is this weed, or not a weed
    Just scan the plant to find out

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    Re: Green fingered help

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    We planted a couple of Foxgloves and a Buddleia this weekend. The Foxgloves are now known as "Shrek's ears".
    Now we can look forward to lots of butterflies and bees as they continue to flower.
    ...but hopefully not foxes with cold paws.

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    Re: Green fingered help

    and for the next identification quiz...

    We have a small tree in the garden that produces tiny white flowers in spring and bunches of black berries in summer.
    I think it's just an overgrown weed, but DT likes it.
    As we're keeping it, I'd like to know what it is. Can anyone help please?



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    Registered User Northants Girly's Avatar
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    Re: Green fingered help

    Elderflower / elderberry?

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    Re: Green fingered help

    Not that I'm much help in the garden, but they look like blackcurrents to me
    "If you rebel against high heels, take care to do so in a very smart hat.'' George Bernard Shaw

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    Re: Green fingered help

    Quote Originally Posted by Northants Girly View Post
    Elderflower / elderberry?
    Spot on by the looks of it, thanks.

    So, does anyone out there do anything with their elderberries? I think they have medicinal properties and can be made into drinks? Maybe puddings?

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    Re: Green fingered help

    Definitely Elder.

    You can use the flowers in the summer to make Elderflower Champagne, batter and make into fritters or just eat the tiny little white flowers raw. And (if you don't eat all the flowers in the summer) you can use the berry's to make wine - or just leave ithe flowers and the berry's to feed the insects and birds.

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    Re: Green fingered help

    Quote Originally Posted by Tiggerbabe View Post
    Not that I'm much help in the garden, but they look like blackcurrents to me
    I think they do too, but it looks like elderberries is a winner.

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    Re: Green fingered help

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    Spot on by the looks of it, thanks.

    So, does anyone out there do anything with their elderberries? I think they have medicinal properties and can be made into drinks? Maybe puddings?
    You beat me to it!

    There are plenty of things to do with the berries. Wine is a long-winded operation and you might not always get something that palatable after the 9-12 months it takes to make it. You can also make cordials and syrups or use them to flavour alcohol (similar to Sloe Gin). I don't think they'd be that nice in puddings - try eating one or two when they're completely ripe and see what you think of the flavour.
    I think they're supposed to be rich in Vit C so good for combatting colds. I'm sure Google will come up with plenty of recipes - if you want a good book there's one called Wild Food by Roger Phillips, it's got lots of recipes and lots of great pictures.

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    Re: Green fingered help

    Here are a couple of recipes - mainly the flowers seem to dominate the recipes.

    BBC list for Elderflower recipes (3 pages long)

    Mulled wine recipe (from the Beeb again)

    WT

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    Registered User Whitebeard's Avatar
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    Re: Green fingered help

    Quote Originally Posted by gamebird View Post
    Definitely Elder.

    ........... - or just leave the flowers and the berry's to feed the insects and birds.
    I don't know about Gamebirds - but when Blackbirds have been eating Elderberries they certainly leave their mark !!

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    Re: Green fingered help

    Quote Originally Posted by Whitebeard View Post
    I don't know about Gamebirds - but when Blackbirds have been eating Elderberries they certainly leave their mark !!
    Ahhhh, that explains the purple stains on the decking!

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    Registered User gamebird's Avatar
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    Re: Green fingered help

    Quote Originally Posted by Whitebeard View Post
    I don't know about Gamebirds - but when Blackbirds have been eating Elderberries they certainly leave their mark !!
    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    Ahhhh, that explains the purple stains on the decking!
    It wasn't me

    My territories a bit too far north...

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    Re: Green fingered help

    Quote Originally Posted by gamebird View Post
    There are plenty of things to do with the berries. Wine is a long-winded operation and you might not always get something that palatable after the 9-12 months it takes to make it. You can also make cordials and syrups or use them to flavour alcohol (similar to Sloe Gin). I don't think they'd be that nice in puddings - try eating one or two when they're completely ripe and see what you think of the flavour.
    I think they're supposed to be rich in Vit C so good for combatting colds. I'm sure Google will come up with plenty of recipes - if you want a good book there's one called Wild Food by Roger Phillips, it's got lots of recipes and lots of great pictures.
    I make elderflower cordial in the summer and this year we're going to try and use the elderberries for either jam or alcohol (or both). We made raspberry vodka a couple years back so we're going to add several other vodka varieties this time round (eldeberry, sloe, blackberry)

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    Re: Green fingered help

    I remember my mother making elderberry cordial, which was delicious, so that may be worth looking into.

    While I'm on here, does anyone have any experience of growing tayberries?
    I planted one plant earlier this year, and info on care, pruning etc seems to be pretty scarce.
    Thanks.

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    Re: Green fingered help

    Whilst trawling the internet for recipes...

    "It's really important only to pick ripe (purple-black) elderberries. You can tell they're ripe because the fruits will be hanging downwards and plump, rather than being above the branch and hard.

    Avoid green and green-purple berries as these are unripe and contain traces of cyanide, which can cause vomiting and diarrhoea... In some sensitive people, even ripe fruit will do this. However, cooking removes this problem."


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    Re: Green fingered help

    Quote Originally Posted by HelenB View Post
    Whilst trawling the internet for recipes...

    "It's really important only to pick ripe (purple-black) elderberries. You can tell they're ripe because the fruits will be hanging downwards and plump, rather than being above the branch and hard.

    Avoid green and green-purple berries as these are unripe and contain traces of cyanide, which can cause vomiting and diarrhoea... In some sensitive people, even ripe fruit will do this. However, cooking removes this problem."

    errrr, someone call an ambulance please.

    but seriously, I just tried a few ripe ones and they have a fairly indistinct, sharp, citrus-like taste.

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    Re: Green fingered help

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    errrr, someone call an ambulance please.

    but seriously, I just tried a few ripe ones and they have a fairly indistinct, sharp, citrus-like taste.
    Don't panic! It also says (though I forgot to post that bit ) that trying a few is OK

  20. #100
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    Re: Green fingered help

    Quote Originally Posted by DJ Andy View Post
    I remember my mother making elderberry cordial, which was delicious, so that may be worth looking into.

    While I'm on here, does anyone have any experience of growing tayberries?
    I planted one plant earlier this year, and info on care, pruning etc seems to be pretty scarce.
    Thanks.
    I'd try just treating the like raspberries - being a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry they are very closely related, though more upright like rasps from what I can remember.

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