Jackson quoted in Press Herald column on native elderberries
Tori Jackson, an associate professor of agriculture and natural resources with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, was interviewed for the latest article in the Portland Press Herald “Maine Gardener” column. The article focused on Maine’s native elderberries, which can be used as food, medicine and dye. Jackson said UMaine Extension began researching how best to grow elderberries in 2015 after commercial growers sought assistance. UMaine Extension is now testing 12 varieties of elderberry at Highmoor Farm in Monmouth, according to the article. In the wild, Jackson said, elderberries are found at woodland edges and beside lakes and streams, and part of the reason elderberries are being promoted as a commercial crop is that they can stand wet and otherwise marginal land that other crops can’t tolerate. While the berries are said to range from bland to bitter when raw, they can be used in jam, pies and other baked goods, as well as wine, according to the article. Elderberry syrup is often used to treat influenza and other ailments, Jackson said, and the ink used to stamp meat in butcher shops is made from the berries.