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Please join me in welcoming John Moody, author of The Elderberry Book!




Read the book review here!

John Moody will be hanging out in the forums until February 7th answering questions and sharing his experiences with you all.

At the end of the week, we'll make a drawing for 4 lucky winners to win a copy of his book! From now until Friday, all new posts in the Food as Medicine forum are eligible to win.

To win, you must use a name that follows our naming policy and you must have your email set up to receive the Daily-ish email. Higher quality posts are weighed more highly than posts that just say, "I want this book!"

The winners will be notified by Purple Moosage and must respond within 24 hours. Only the winners who respond within that timeframe will receive their book. Watch for a PM, and a notice in this thread announcing the winners!


Please remember that we favour perennial discussion.  The threads you start will last beyond the event.  You don't need to use John Moody's name to get his attention. We like these threads to be accessible to everyone, and some people may not post their experiences if the thread is directed to the author alone.


Posts in this thread won't count as an entry to win the book, but please say "Hi!" to John Moody and make him feel welcome!
COMMENTS:
 
pollinator
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Hi John. -  

Welcome!

Pull up a chair. We've got the rocket stove going and Pearl will make you a nice cup of chai.
 
pollinator
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Welcome, I look forward to this - plan to plant elderberries this year!
 
Author
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Thank you everyone!
 
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Good morning John! Welcome to Permies
 
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Welcome to the forums!

I will admit I have not had a chance to look over the book, but am quite interested.

I planted a row of elderberries, serviceberries and pawpaws along one of my fences, and while waiting for the pawpaws to mature, we were still able to enjoy yummy pies and such from the copious elderberry production.  Great plants to have around.  And almost impossible to kill, so that’s a plus for me!  😜

Hope you enjoy your time here!

Happy trails,

Keith
 
steward
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An elderberry bush has been on my wish list for several years, but I need a place for it to be happy first! (I did get 5 Saskatoon Berry babies planted, so I'm getting there!) With the current worries about flu and corona viruses, I think your book and your visit are very timely. I hope you enjoy your visit.
 
gardener
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Welcome! We have one elderberry bush which wants to move in to the house!
 
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Hi John! Congrats on the beautiful book. I sell some elderberry syrup and gummy bears to local families. Many people ask me about the curative properties of elderberry and some of the families who buy from me "swear by it". I'm currently buying dried elderberries but I'd love to propagate some of my own cuttings from my farm. I have about 20 elderberry bushes on my property that I discovered when chasing my piglets through the woods the day I brought them home. I'd love to have this book to learn more about elderberries and how to grow more on my property so I can harvest, even enough to help support my extended family through cold and flu season. Would this be a good book to learn about how to harvest and dry a large amount of elderberries to help a few families through the winter?
 
JohnW Moody
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Hey Chelsey,
Would this be a good book?  Since I am biased, I just point people to the reviews :)

From what reviewers have said and readers have told me, this is probably currently the best resource for small scale (non-commercial, so less than 1/2 acre or so) elderberry production and processing.  
TEB-Review.JPG
elderberry book review
 
pollinator
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Hi John and welcome! Thank you for blessing us with your knowledge and experience.  
 
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Hi, John!  I have a few elderberries plants, that have survived, but not thrived.  I need to find some ideas to help the bushes get a better start, so this book sounds like a good resource!
Thanks for your contributions to the status of knowledge.
 
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Welcome from Michigan, John. This subject is very timely for me as I just received 15 Elderberry cutting in the mail yesterday. Two varieties, Ranch and Bob Gordon. I put them in the fridge to decide what to do next. Your book to the rescue! My big plan is creating a windbreak/food forest/wildlife area along a fence line using hazelnut, elderberry, aronia, and wild plum. That is still in the planning stage. I am also interested in exploring Elderberry as a dye for fiber. I'll be following the posts for more ideas.
 
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Welcome John!
I can't wait to read your book. The reviews look great. I have been loving black elderberries for a few years now and always looking for more information about growing and using them. I never thought of using the wood for crafts! My daughter and I will be whittling elder this summer for sure.
 
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Thanks for doing this!  I've got a bunch of dried elderberries and would love to know more about their uses.
 
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Welcome, John! As a recent permieprentice, I really appreciate any and all ideas that pop here, especially those that involve plants that I have bravely put in for the good of the land without a great sense of how I will make use of them, like elderberry!

--CJ
 
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Hi John Moody, so very glad to be here on this platform to learn more about the healing of elderberries! I wish you and your family and everyone else a very safe and blessed 2020 and beyond! God Bless!
 
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Greetings John.

A question about elderberry tinctures: every recipe I've ever seen calls for straining the elderberries after letting them steep in the vodka.  Is there any special reason for this?  Why not just let them completely dissolve and dissipate?  Are there any adverse effects from not straining them out afterwards?

Thank you in advance.
 
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Welcome, John!  I enjoy wildcrafting elderberries in my area and making syrup to share with friends and family for its immunostimulant properties.  Now I'm looking to bring the goodness home and grow some on my property.  Looking forward to the discussion this week and am anxious to check out your new book.
 
JohnW Moody
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David,
The seeds may be rather high in cyanide, and are none too friendly to the human digestive system.

 
pollinator
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Thank you so much, John for such a generous excerpt of your book on elderberries. We have 2 wild kinds growing here in Central WI: One has green stem and purple berries, the other one has stems that are tinted purple and its berries seem bigger and sweeter.
As I'm reading new things I didn't know about elderberry syrup for colds and flu, I'd like to grow more of these generous bushes. I used to give the umbels to my chickens and alternately, I made a thick syrup to pour over pancakes and ice cream. YUM!
I planted 3 in my garden last spring and got one large cluster of big berries. Larger than the biggest wild berries. From your excerpt, I see I planted them too close, so I'll have to transplant them outside of the garden. I will also take cuttings to make a hedge. I'll need to get the book to figure out more about hardwood cuttings.
Again, Thank you
 
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Welcome John! Excited you are here, as many others are as well!!! I have been hearing lots about elderberries and started researching.
I decided after this posting that I wanted to make sure I got a copy of the book!! I purchased one!! Thanks for posting your site so I could buy one!!
 
JohnW Moody
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Thanks all.  IF you are looking for my books, best place to get them is here at my website, www.johnwmoody.com

Appreciate you all!
 
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Since this is a welcome of a new book as well as a thread, I'm wondering if most folks use vodka for their elderberry brew.  I do, but still wondering if brandy (which I use for Echinacea) might be better.  I'm also including in my berry brew besides elderberry, gooseberry, currants, Aronia, blackberries, and blueberries.  They seem to make a well-balanced and flavorful blend, that's almost too tasty.  Any thoughts about this being a good or not-so-good idea?  Thanks and welcome John.
 
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Thank you for your time here! So excited to see discussions unfold on this topic.
 
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Welcome John! I'm planning a small food forest and wondering about including elderberries as either the central feature of a fruit tree guild or part of the supporting guild. I'm in central California, where we have hot, dry summers and mild (hopefully) wet winters with occasional cold snaps of only a few days. I'm also looking forward to learning various ways of using and preserving the berries. I'll be haunting this thread and look forward to reading your book!
 
pollinator
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Welcome John!
The 'black elder' (sambucus nigra) is a very common bush here in the Netherlands. There's a very large bush growing at the corner of the apartment building I live in. I pick flowers and berries from that bush. And now (a week or two ago) I took some cuttings, so I can grow some more of these wonderful elder bushes!
 
                                
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Hi John, as an author myself I commend you for writing and getting this book published.  It is truly no easy task, but the topic looks really useful in an age where we have drifted too far from growing our own food.  I will order a copy at my local independent book store for my shelf.  

We have native elderberry here in the PNW...and there are several large, mature bushes on our property.  Actually some look like small trees.  The problem is that I am reluctant to harvest the fruit because the birds do rely on them.  I should probably plant some more -- some for us, some for the birds.  I'll read your book to learn how.  Again, congratulations, job well done.
 
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Hi John,

I want to cover a BUNCH of my property with elderberry. With "alternative" medical "testing," I've learned that elderberry is a superfood for me and I have been scrounging furiously for recipes and ways to get those scrumptious little berries into my body!

Whether I win or purchase, I'm sure your book would be an invaluable reference in my permie library!

Cheers,
Sigrid
 
pollinator
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Welcome to Permies John! I look forward to reading your book. I always like it when there is a one-stop reference for plants so that I don't have to research all over for the bits that I need for growing and using my food and medicine.
 
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So glad to have 'discovered' you John. Welcome. I'm new on here, but an elder in many things.
 
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Hi John! I'm with Sigrid Blom, cant wait to see what you've written as I have just acquired a mess of elderberry cuttings from a local gal here.
 
JohnW Moody
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Thanks all!
 
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Hi John and other permies

How fabulous to have a whole book on the beauty and uses of elderberry! Ive always loved the plant and we make jelly and syrup of it, and my dad has made champagne from it. However sadly here in New Zealand its on our local councils pest plant list! People are killing and spraying it, alot of farmers hate it here. How sad, i think people just dont use it and love it anymore to value it. We need this book 🌈
Cheerio
Annika
 
                              
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I love elderberry. This is so exciting!
 
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Welcome John Moody! Thanks for spending time with us. Lucia
 
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Looking forward to reading your book and learning more about elderberries. I’m not sure I’ve seen them up close although people have pointed them out to me (as we whizzed by in a speeding car).
I’d like to enter the drawing for the book but I haven’t figured out how.
Planning to buy my own property soon and would like to have all kinds of berries.
Cheers!
 
Rusticator
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Hi, John! Welcome! I'm a huge elderberry fan!
 
gardener & hugelmaster
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FYI

Anyone who posts to this forum ------> https://permies.com/f/99/food-medicine is automatically eligible to win. This welcome thread does not count as an entry.
 
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Welcome! This is very exciting. I am learning so much about plants. This would be a great addition to my garden site.
 
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