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Elderberry

Sambucus nigra — Cooked only — raw berries, leaves, bark and stems are toxic.

Never eat a wild mushroom or plant identified only from a website, book or app. Several deadly species look almost identical to edible ones, and mistakes can be fatal. Learn from an experienced forager in person, be certain of every specimen, and when in doubt, throw it out.

What it is

Elder gives two harvests: fragrant flower heads in early summer for cordial, and dark berry clusters in early autumn. Both must be cooked — raw berries and all green parts can cause nausea and vomiting — but processed they make classic syrups, jams and drinks.

Where and when to find it

Hedges, edges and waste ground. In season roughly Flowers in June, berries in August and September.

Look-alikes and safety

The toxic dwarf elder (Sambucus ebulus) is a low herb, not a shrub, and holds its berries upright rather than in a drooping head. More importantly, every green part of the elder and the raw berries contain cyanogenic compounds; only the cooked flowers and cooked ripe berries are safe.

Nutrition

Cooked into cordial and jam; never eaten raw. As with all wild food, the health value only matters once you are completely certain of a safe identification.

More wild foods

Source: Edibility and look-alike notes follow standard mycological and botanical references for the region. This page is a starting reference, not an identification authority. · checked 2026-09-04

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