Orders are being taken for bulk frozen American elderberries from all customers. We have black S. nigra canadensis berries from the Midwest available. Beginning in September 2023, we should have up to 70,000 lb. bulk frozen in 4 gal. pails available for sale - both certified organic and sustainably grown in the USA, native S. nigra canadensis berries. Contact Chris Patton first by email: info@midwest-elderberry.coop, or then by phone, preferably between 9am-5pm Central Time 612-418-4624.
Prices for certified organic frozen American elderberries:
(minimum order is 600 lb. Please go to Small Order page for less than 600 lb.)
- $3-4.00/lb. plus freight - different sources @ different prices & pack/pallet
Sustainably grown native elderberries are usually priced 50 cents less per pound. Negotiated savings available for 2021 harvest berries.
Sustainably grown native elderberries are usually priced 50 cents less per pound. MEC has relationships with a few frozen LTL carriers (delivered frozen on a pallet), which usually only makes financial sense for orders of 600 lb. or more. Buyer must have a receiving dock for semis and a paved road to it.
On all orders, priority is given to MEC member growers, past customers and date deposit is received. We are planning coop IQF processing capacity for American elderberry in the coming years.
(Orders are usually in 25 lb. increments due to our pack in 4 gal. food grade pails.) We will then send you a PayPal invoice (credit cards accepted) that allows for a partial payment equal to the deposit. This non-refundable deposit towards the full purchase & delivery is required for all purchase orders. Deposits will be refunded only if Nature or other causes beyond MEC’s control prevent fulfillment of your order.
Are Raw Native Elderberries Safe?
A multi-year project ending in 2018 by University of Missouri researchers discovered that ripe native (Sambucus canadensis) black elderberries and their seeds do not have any meaningful level of glycosides (pre-cyanides) that can make one sick. [Note: Ripe native (S. canadensis) berries often appear more reddish in color than the European (nigra) berries, which is probably due to the additional anthocyanins found in the North American condenses cultivars. Native berries are also quite a bit smaller.]
This does not seem to be true for European Sambucus nigra elderberries, which have a history of production processes to neutralize the potential issues related to glycosides. That is why those imported ingredients are more processed and may also be part of the reason why native elderberries taste better than the European ones.
While the latest research at the university of Missouri (soon to be published) indicates that fresh/frozen, ripe elderberries do not have significant levels of glycosides, some few people seem to be strongly affected by consuming raw elderberries or elderberry juice, where it upsets their digestive system. Why they have a lower tolerance for elderberry is not clearly understood. Fresh and raw frozen berries that are fermented or heated so that the entire volume reaches 180° F, or more have not been associated with any health related incidents to our knowledge.
Technical Note: Cultivar “Marge” was not a part of the above study and is likely to have more glycosides present since it is classified as an American adapted European Sambucus nigra. (4/9/2019 email from Andrew Thomas lead researcher UMO)