Demand for elderberries skyrockets

A berry prized by Native people for its sacred and medicinal attributes is being explored as a commercial commodity.

Civil Eats reports that demand for elderberries has skyrocketed, with farmers, entrepreneurs and Indigenous non-profits working to develop a market. Part of the berry’s appeal is that it has adapted to hotter and drier climates, which can help farmers diversify their crops with a more drought-tolerant product. But according to Civil Eats, “Blue elderberry is functionally still a wild plant, without the consistency that comes from research and development.”

Federal budget cuts have hampered research into elderberries. The Elderberry Project, spearheaded by the Santa Barbara nonprofit White Buffalo Land Trust, wanted to explore the potential of a traditional food that Indigenous communities cultivated for more than 10,000 years. But in April, a sudden cut to the project’s $4.6 million grant from the USDA’s Partnerships in Climate Smart Commodities Program put the brakes to those efforts.

Civil Eats reports that the USDA is reviewing existing projects based on new criteria while continuing funding for qualifying projects under a new name, the Advancing Markets for Producers initiative.

Elderberries have been used in products ranging from syrup to hand creams.