Foraging for Elderberry Blossoms
Recently I came across and Instagram post that took me back about twenty years. My childhood friend Katie’s mother, Mrs. Barrington, posted a few photos of her cooking with elderberry blossoms. This is a tradition she was excitedly passing down to her grandchild and I couldn’t help but be transported back to a time when Katie and I ate those same homemade elderberry blossom treats on Sunday mornings. I had to ask Mrs. Barrington where I could find some elderberry blossoms for myself and if she would share the recipe.
She taught me that elderberries blossom in June in the Northeast and they are often found near railroad tracks and alongside roads; making it another wild treat to secretly forage! So, I drove around in mid June with my eyes peeled for fluffy white flowers and I finally found some on the west side of Cleveland. I knocked on the door of the tree owners house and asked if I could cut some blossoms for myself and offered $10. They gladly accepted and I went home with an armload of elderberry blossoms!
When I got home I put the branches in a cup of water and removed the leaves. The didn’t stay perky for too long, and began to droop after a few hours, even in air conditioning. But I am told they are still good to cook with after a day or too. But once they lose their flowers there won’t be anything good to cook with.
I love that every few months there is something new in nature that I am excited to forage and enjoy. What do you find in nature that you love to eat?
Foraged Elderberry Blossom Eggs
Ingredients:
one cup of elderberry blossoms off the stem (some stems are ok!)
two eggs
salt & pepper
oil for skillet
Directions:
Remove blossoms from branch and do not wash, just shake and hope any bugs come off :]
Heat oil and butter in a skillet
Whisk up two eggs in a bowl
When skillet is hot, scoop eggs and blossom mix onto skillet and cook til brown, then flip and cook other side til brown. Should make at least four mini pancake sized egg & blossom patties
sprinkle some salt and pepper on the patty and enjoy
