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Grow, harvest, and preserve elderberries for immune support, culinary delights, and natural wellness. Complete guide to cultivating this superfood berry, with recipes for syrups, wines, and medicinal preparations that support family health naturally.
Why Elderberries Are Called Nature's Medicine Cabinet:
Elderberries contain higher antioxidant levels than blueberries and have been used for immune support for centuries. Commercial elderberry supplements cost $15-25 per bottle, but homegrown elderberries provide the same benefits for pennies.
What You'll Master:
- Cultivation techniques for maximum berry production in various climates
- Harvesting and processing methods that preserve nutritional and medicinal value
- Traditional recipes for syrups, jellies, and wines with modern safety updates
- Medicinal preparations including immune-supporting extracts and tinctures
- Year-round preservation techniques for continuous family health support
Health and Savings Benefits:
Families growing elderberries report significant savings on immune supplements while enjoying fresh, chemical-free berries for cooking and wellness applications.
Grow your family's natural pharmacy in your backyard. Perfect for health-conscious families wanting to combine gardening with natural wellness approaches.
"As a long-time cultivator of elderberry, for not only its beauty as part of my farm landscape but also for making pancake syrup and tinctures, I had a hunch there was plenty I didn't know. John Moody has given me a new set of eyes, plus the tools, recipes, and step-bystep how-to for utilizing every part of my beloved elder."
— MaryJane Butters Idaho farmer, author, and editor of MaryJanesFarm magazine, now in its 19th year, and author, Wild Bread
"John Moody remains one of the important voices in the modern homesteading and regenerative agriculture movements. With a style that blends practical knowledge with front porch philosophy, in The Elderberry Book you'll learn all the necessary information on how to use one of my favorite plants for food and forage, drink and medicine."
— Scott Mann host, The Permaculture Podcast
"The elderberry is a great plant to fall in love with; this book is its love letter to everybody."
— Samuel Thayer author, Nature's Garden, The Forager's Harvest, and Incredible Wild Edibles
"John Moody has done an excellent job in profiling the many aspects of the lore, cultivation and use of this amazing specialty fruit in an easy-to-understand but professional manner. Always a plant of the people, elderberry has been used for healing since earliest times in a diversity of human practices and preferences. As a practical guide for home or small farm production, this book a great place to start."
— Chris Patton Founder and President of the Midwest Elderberry Cooperative
"John dives into elderberries with the same enthusiasm he brings to the homesteading lifestyle. From plant to product, The Elderberry
Book has you covered. It was fun and entertaining to learn about new aspects of an old herbal friend, the elderberry."
— Laurie Neverman founder, Common Sense Home, blogger at commonsensehome.com
John Moody is the founder of Whole Life Services and Whole Life Buying Club. He is the CEO of Steader and the Executive Director of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. Involved with farming, food, and homesteading over the last decade, including running an elderberry syrup business, John is a well-known speaker at numerous conferences and events, such as Mother Earth News and Wise Traditions. He won the 2013 Weston A. Price activist of the year award and is one of two old timers and five rambunctious kids who farms and homesteads on 35 acres in Kentucky.
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1 History
Ancient Elderberry
European Elderberry
Native American and American Elderberry
More Than Just Food or Medicine
2 Description, Anatomy, Terminology, and Nutrition
Description and Anatomy
Terminology
Benefits and Studies
Nutrition
3 Cultivation and Care
How to Choose an Elderberry Variety
Preparation and Planting
Purchasing and Propagation
First Three Years of Growth and Fruiting
Care and Pruning
Pests and Diseases
4 Harvesting, Foraging, and Preserving
Dangerous and Other Look-Alikes
Where to Forage
Preserving
Purchasing Elderberry Products
5 Preparation Methods
Basic Equipment
Jams and Jellies
Fermented Elderberry Enjoyments
Other Ways to Prepare Elderberry
Tinctures
Other Uses for Elderberry Pulp
6 Crafts and Other Uses for Elder Wood
Children, Cyanide, and Elderberry Crafts
What You Will Need
Elder Whistle
Elderberry Flute
Elderberry Bellows
Elderberry Lance or Spear
Elderberry Pencils
Blowgun/Popgun
Notes
Additional Reading and Resources
About the Author
A Note about the Publisher