This edible fruit is not as common here as it is further south in farm country. They usually ripen in September in our area. Elderberries are very nutritious; and they have been found to have ten times as much Vitamin A and Vitamin C as grapes.  The berries are rarely eaten plain off the bush because they do not taste so well.  However, once they have been cooked or made into wine, the cause of the unpleasant taste is gone.  They are usually used in wines and jellies.

Warning:  The raw fruit, bark, and leaves contain sambunigrim which contains cyanide.  This is not a problem once they are cooked.  Judging from the amounts of elderberry wine that are drank every year, wine-making seems to break this ingredient down, too.