Producing Blue Elderberry as a Hedgerow-Based Crop in California

As a California native species, blue elderberry supports a diversity of native pollinators and wildlife and contributes to the conservation of native plant communities. Blue elderberry is fast growing and well adapted to many parts of California—from coastal regions to interior valleys and up to approximately 10,000 feet in elevation (fig. 1A)—and provides opportunities for climate-smart farming. But blue elderberry also qualifies as a unique and distinctive local product with a long history of use by California’s Native tribes (fig. 1B). Market demand for products made from the European and American subspecies of elderberry is rapidly increasing nationwide. Blue elderberry is similar in many ways to these more established commercial subspecies; all three species, for example, contain health-promoting phenolic compounds. The flowers and ripe berries of blue elderberry are safe to eat if properly processed because processing eliminates harmful cyanide-producing glycosides, which are contained in all parts of elderberry plants. This guide covers growing, harvesting, and marketing of blue elderberry in California, and is based on information from preliminary field trials; from growers, processors, and buyers; and from published conservation research. The benefits of hedgerows for California’s agricultural landscapes