It’s still a little early to pluck elderberries, but we had some time on our hands. In general you should wait until all the berries are black. Do not eat raw, they are poisonous when eaten raw. I have unpleasant childhood memories and still feel a little nauseous when I smell the berries. Nevertheless, I’m trying to teach my kids foraging and plant variety and apparently elderberries have incredible amounts of vitamin C. And autumn is officially raining on our doorstep tonight.I decided to make a small amount of syrup to add to fizzy water. First of all you need to cook the berries to destroy the poison (wonder if any of the vitamin C survives that? ?). I added some apple for taste. Pass through a sieve after five minutes of boiling. Weigh. Add the same weight in sugar and boil for another five minutes. Dash of fresh lemon and keep in a clean bottle. The syrup is cooling down right now and I’m eager to try it tomorrow.