why would you bother?

this is a phrase that my son in law uses when he sees or hears of someone doing something he thinks is a waste of time..it's a bit ironic really because he bothers a lot..he bothers welding bits of scrap metal together to make works of art and furniture..he bothers constructing a quirky metal frame on the flat roof of part of a building and then elevating an old canoe high up onto it and then using it as a planter..he bothers air brushing dozens of life sized wood cutout people..he bothers collecting and storing a huge amount of stuff for work related projects..he bothers project managing the internal construction and outfitting of  various bars and clubs in melbourne where he uses no working drawings or plans but works entirely from his imagination and memory..and he bothers having exhibitions..

'why would you bother' is now firmly entrenched in my children's and my vernacular and it's aways guaranteed a laugh..yesterday when i picked my second and last crop of elderberry umbels for the season with a view to making elderberry jelly i imagined my son in law looking at the seven umbels and saying 'why would you bother?' and those living in lands where they grow like weeds might think the same..but, people, it's not the same deal here in australia..elderberries don't grow everywhere..

there's a bit of irony in where i first discovered them..it wasn't in the uk where i once lived or other parts of europe that i've visited where i know they grow..the first place i found them was 10 years ago in daylesford, in north west victoria, while on a bush walk where i noticed 5-6 trees growing wild along with a few neglected vines..exotic fruit growing in among australian bush might seem a bit odd but the area was once part of the era of the heady gold rush..

i didn't know what the fruit was when i picked the first umbels but i felt sure they were something edible so i took them home and looked the tree and fruit up in my trusty and well used book on fruit trees..when i found out they were indeed edible i boiled the few berries i had with a bit of sugar, strained the juice and had it on yoghurt..after tasting the syrup i planned on visiting again but i never did get back there (it was an 8 hour walk) so then i thought of growing one..four or five years ago when i was planting out my new garden the only place i could find an elderberry was through digger's garden club but i've noticed they're now more widely available..

sourdough semolina and yoghurt roll with elderberry jelly

why would you bother?

because waiting 10 years between tasting the delicious cooked berries again is a long time..and because the colour is truly gorgeous..it would have been even darker and i think the flavour richer had i not used a granny smith apple along with the berries..hopefully next year i will have a bigger crop and i won't have to dilute the jelly with pomes..that's assuming the birds that carole away in it all day don't realise the berries are edible too..