Nestled along the Spring River lies Mount Vernon’s treasured century family farm. What started over 100 years ago has evolved over four generations and blossomed into Elder Farms.  Once a small dairy and traditional crop farm, the Buehler family pulled a brave, 180 degree turn, to focus on providing a more healing product to their community. The elderberry plant was a natural choice, as it’s been used medicinally throughout the ages. 

MaMa Jean’s has been privileged to carry Elder Farms’ delicious bottles of elderberry syrup and honey for the past year. Needless to say, we were very excited to visit the farm and see their famous elderberry plants for ourselves. Keep reading to learn more about the elderberry plant, it’s medicinal benefits and how Missouri is one of the leading producers of American elderberries!

David Buehler himself led our tour through a portion of the 40 acres of elderberry plants grown on the farm. The field is located right next to the Spring River, which irrigates the plants. It’s a good thing too, as elderberry plants are not drought tolerant and require inches of water per week to thrive. Ten beehives border the fields where busy bees work at pollinating the plants.

Today, about 95% of any elderberry product on the market uses imported european elderberry. When European Elderberry (Sambucus Nigra) is imported, it is usually dried, which reduces the medicinal benefits. On the other hand, American Elderberry (Sambucus Canadensis) can be freshly pressed, which gives you a more potent extract - not to mention the benefits of supporting local farmers! 

Missouri is leading the way when it comes to American elderberry production. Buehler surprised us when he said that Missouri is considered the “Elderberry capital of the country”!  There are only about 1,500 acres of American Elderberry being grown in the entire country, with 500 of those acres being grown in Missouri. 

Most people take elderberry during cold and flu season because they have been told it will help shorten the length of an illness or boost their immune system. But what is the science behind the elderberries' seemingly magical properties?

Elderberries are loaded with antioxidants that our bodies respond to and are rich in anthocyanins. These compounds give the fruit its characteristic dark black-purple color and are a strong antioxidant with anti-inflammatory effects. 

When comparing American vs. European elderberries, the University of Missouri has found that the anthocyanins in American elderberries are better fit for elderberry juice or syrup. When European elderberries are heated, the anthocyanins break down very easily, while the American variety has been shown to remain stable when it comes to heat and light.

Each batch of berries at Elder Farm is hand harvested in love. Buehler even custom designed a patent-pending, de-stemmer to carefully remove the berries from the stems in order to increase efficiency. Everything on Elder Farms is grown organically without the use of any synthetic chemicals, pesticides or herbicides. 

Elder Farms grows 5 different varieties of american elderberry.

     1. Wyldwood - a common variety, native to Oklahoma

     2. York - produces the largest berries

     3. Ranch -  native to Missouri

     4. Bob Gordon - native to Missouri 

     5. Pochahontas - native to Missouri

The pocahontas variety was developed by Missouri State University research extension, which is conveniently, only about a mile from the farm. Anytime the university releases new studies, Elder Farms is one of the first to know about it. The University of Missouri is currently studying elderberries as a possible neuroprotectant. The elderberry could be beneficial to Alzheimer's, parkinsons, and other neurodegenerative disorders. It has also been claimed that elderberries have anti cancer properties. 

Buehler spoke for the need of more elderberry farms to start up to meet the growing demand. The University of Missouri has done 20-25 years of research on the elderberry and realizes there are great opportunities for Missouri to grow this as a commercial crop. During the pandemic, the need for elderberries has drastically skyrocketed. 

In March of 2020, Elder Farms was faced with the hard decision of completely selling out or changing their formula to extend its availability to the community. After much research, Elder Farms committed to improving their product with the addition of the aronia berry for added antioxidant boost. While traveling in the UK, Buehler noticed how popular aronia berry syrups were on pharmacy shelves over elderberries. 

Surprisingly, this overlooked berry may have greater benefits than its counterpart!

 This chart represents the antioxidant values of different fruits. Elderberry is #2 in antioxidants while Aronia is #1. Aronia can be more astringent or tart, which might explain why the majority of people gravitate towards elderberries.

In order to extend their harvest, while still offering a very medicinally packed elderberry product, Buehler developed a fifty-fifty blend of elderberry and aronia. Choosing naturally grown aronia berries from Iowa, Elder Farms mixes their proprietary blend with RAW honey, organic ceylon cinnamon, organic ginger, organic cloves and elderflower. This family friendly formula tastes delicious, you won’t even know you’re getting the benefits of aronia too! It’s so delicious that you’ll even have trouble limiting yourself to just one teaspoon a day!     

At Elder Farms, Buehler has learned how to make the most from each plant. There are benefits in everything from the leaves to it’s blossoms. Amazingly, the delicate elderflower may be just as beneficial and nutritious as it’s berries. Elderflowers can help soothe inflammation in sinus membranes, break up mucus in the body, and calm allergies. The elderflower is also high in antioxidants and has a nice vanilla taste when added to honey. Elder Farms uses these beautiful flowers in their honey and syrups.

 Almost every part of the elderberry plant is usable. The leaf can be used on bug bites, scrapes and cuts. Historically, Native Americans and European settlers used the elder leaf to dress their wounds. On Elder Farms, nothing gets wasted. Even the processing facility is based out of what used to be the farm’s old dairy barn. Instead of re-building, Buehler has embraced the farm’s roots and ingeniously makes the most of everything he has.

We’re proud to carry a variety of products from Elder Farms at MaMa Jean’s. You may be surprised at the many ways elderberries can help build your family’s immune health. Our friends at Elder Farms are passionate about education and giving back to the community. We encourage you to take a field trip to the farm, or stop by our stores to learn first hand about these naturally, crafted remedies.

Try using Elder Farm honey in this delicious recipe that we tried on our tour. 

Elder Honey Protein Balls Recipe:

• 1 cup butter ( your choice)

• 1.5 cups gluten free oats

• 1/3 cup coconut flakes

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

• 1/2 cup Carob chips

• 1/2 cup dried cranberry 

• 1/2 cup chopped nuts or your choice

• Elder Honey - use as much needed to combine ingredients

Place oats, peanut butter, honey, protein powder and chocolate chips in a large bowl and stir to combine. Getting the mixture to combine may take a little time, but keep at it! Use your hands to knead the dough until it clumps together. Once combined, use a small cookie scoop to scoop and form the dough into balls. Store in a covered container in the fridge or freezer.

** Interested in growing your own elderberries? You can purchase plants from elderfarms.com. Elder Farms offer plants at wholesale to farmers and custom farm installations.