Do dried elderberries produce the dreaded green goo like the fresh ones do?

[Dan O]

@Raptor99 . I think I saw a post you were talking on winemakingtalk.com about elderberries...specifically the green goo. Do you have any idea if the dried elderberries produce such a goo?
I have 4 lbs of dried elderberries I want to start experimenting with, but I'm hesitant because of the goo.
Thank you, in advance, to anyone who chimes in with knowledge or experience with elderberries.

Happy meading

 

[Kickass]

Is the green goo from under ripe fruit? I just made a mead with fresh elderberries and it was green goo free.

 

[Dan O]

I wish I knew

 

[rallenhall]

I commonly add 1-2 oz. of dried elderberries to 6 gal. red wine kits. Have never experienced the goo factor.

 

[Dan O]

I commonly add 1-2 oz. of dried elderberries to 6 gal. red wine kits. Have never experienced the goo factor.

Great to know....thank you.

 

[Raptor99]

@Dan O I have never used dried elderberries, so I do not know the answer to your question. I wonder if the dehydrating process removsesor destroys the goo?

@Kickass I used fully ripe elderberries, and had plenty of green goo. I think that the goo comes from a waxy coating on the berries. The amount of goo might vary depending on the variety of elderberries and the growing conditions.

Green goo is mentioned here: Elderberry Wine: Taming the Wild Elderberry - WineMakerMag.com

 

[Raptor99]

I just found a great source of information on elderberries:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/elderberries
Including this comment:

Dried elderberries do not leave the residue, described as “elderberry goo,” that defies conventional clean-up methods.

The winemakermag article linked above includes this statement:

It is believed this substance originates from the stems of the berries, but this author has encountered it when no stems were present. This leads to the second theory that the goo is really the bluish waxy coating found on several species, but especially the Blue Elder. The jury, however, is still out on this theory.

In another souce, I found this:

The blue elderberry is distinguished by a waxy coating on the fruit skin, giving the berry a light blue color.

(https://misadocuments.info/elderberries.pdf)

This is of interest to me, because next year we plan to plant some elderberries. The blue elderberry has not been domesticated, so most of the elderberry plants sold in to US are American Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) rather than Black Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) which is more common in Europe.

Based on my experience,American Elderberries also produce green goo. But if Black Elderberries do not, that is what I want to plant. If anyone has experience making wine with Black Elder vs. American Elder, I would be interested in hearing about your experience.

 

[Dan O]

I just found a great source of information on elderberries:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/elderberries
Including this comment:


The winemakermag article linked above includes this statement:


In another souce, I found this:

(https://misadocuments.info/elderberries.pdf)

This is of interest to me, because next year we plan to plant some elderberries. The blue elderberry has not been domesticated, so most of the elderberry plants sold in to US are American Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) rather than Black Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) which is more common in Europe.

Based on my experience,American Elderberries also produce green goo. But if Black Elderberries do not, that is what I want to plant. If anyone has experience making wine with Black Elder vs. American Elder, I would be interested in hearing about your experience.

@Raptor99, thank you so much. Not only for responding, but for these very informative links to some great information. It is much appreciated
Now, armed with this new information, I will feel a lot better about proceeding with using my elderberry additions into several already made & new meads coming up.