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Thursdays
and Fridays at 7:49 am and 5:00pm Hosted by Andy Griffin of Mariquita Farm in Watsonville. To the right is a photo of elderberries growing on our farm. Below Andy's story is a recipe for elderberry pie. |
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July 16th, 2004 Elderberries This is Andrew Griffin of Mariquita Farm with Life On The Farm. Our farm has what may be the only commercial scale planting of elderberries in the State. Of course elderberries aren't very commercial. They are wild berries that look a bit like tiny grapes and they pack an astringent flavor that bites back. Nowadays usually only birds or wild animals eat elderberries but they were once valued by frontier home makers as an available fruit that could be used in pies, preserves, and wines. Almost anything tastes ok with enough sugar. I even like elderberries raw because when I taste them I remember gathering them for my neighbor. She paid me with pies. The land I am farming now used to be a horse ranch. Birds would eat elderberries from the wild trees along Pacheco creek, then perch on the corral fence. In time an elderberry hedge grew up along the fence line. When we began farming the field we removed the fence but not the trees. Elderberry trees are beautiful and a hedge of them makes a good windbreak. Organic farmers value hedgerows because they provide cover for wildlife and promote species diversity. I'm even finding chefs who are curious about this native fruit and willing to try and cook with it. Maybe someday restaurants that promote California Cuisine may have elderberries on the desert menu the way road houses of the Gold Rush era did.. For K.U.S.P. this is Andrew Griffin. copyright 2004 Andrew Griffin Elderberry Pie 2 Crust Pie Shell Spread Elderberries in prepared pie crust plate, sprinkle with lemon juice. Combine sugar, salt & flour. Sprinkle over berries. Dot with butter. Adjust top crust and flute the edges. Cut vent holes. Bake in a 400 degree oven for approx. 35 to 45 minutes until juice bubbles up in vent holes and the crust is a nice golden brown! ----- More about Mariquita
Farm: Website More about Andy's writings: Ladybug Letter Website Andy's Vegetable Photo Gallery: hundreds of vegetable and farming photos |
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