not far from the tree

This backyard was made for jelly. A beautiful elderberry tree provides the bulk of the berries, and a crabapple tree makes for natural pectin. The fruit tree owner, who has long made her own jellies, showed off some of her canning equipment, shared a few jars with those who came to pick, and offered to host a jelly-making session at her place one day.

Since elderberries can make many people feel nauseous when eaten raw, this pick wasn’t immediately gratifying. The berries contain cyanide, but cooking rids them of the toxin. So I boiled mine down into the base for saft, a Scandinavian-style juice that I came to love while living in Norway.