Sweet Dessert Made from Wildflowers (article by Gail Lee Martin)
Elderberry bushes have many uses. Probably you’ve heard of elderberry wine or elderberry jelly. I learned from the Foxfire Books how to make fritters from the flower of the elderberry bush.
Common Elderberry Flower – Sticker by CarolsCamera
When I was a child growing up in the Kansas Flint Hills, I helped mother gather the berries to make elderberry jelly and elderberry syrup. It’s amazing the wild foods available to us if we stop to partake of nature’s bounty.
Here’s my version of elderberry fritters and I’ve added some variations that you might want to try as well.
Find the Elderberry Bushes in Bloom
We have always gathered wild elderberries from the Kansas back roads to make jelly or use it as syrup, when the jelly didn’t set up good. The taste is great either way. The wild plant grows in moist areas, near creeks and streams or in grade ditches that has a heavy run off.
Elderberry Blossom Fritters Postcard for sending to your friends
Elderberry Blossom Fritters
Gail and Clyde Martin’s Recipe
Ingredients
Freshly picked elderflowers from the elderberry bush
Pancake mix (made up according to the instructions on the box)
Hot oil
Powdered sugar to sprinkle over the fritter
Instructions
Pick the cluster of white tiny flowers and gently placed them in a basket. At home we sprayed water over the flower head to remove dust and any tiny insects that might be there.
I then dip the whole cluster in pancake batter until well coated, drop into the hot oil in deep fat fryer. Watch closely and remove the fritter as soon as it browns to your liking.
I serve mine with our own home made elderberry syrup and sometimes add a sprinkle of powered sugar.
Discovering Mom 