Wonderful uses called in line with the past

One of the useful plants of our area and beyond is the medicinal plant zova.
In not-so-distant times, the call was a favorite toy of children, thanks to its branches, it offered children imaginative games like wind instruments or small flutes and whistles.

It was enough to cut a twig a few inches in diameter, empty the delicate marrow, and make a few deep incisions in the bark to turn a simple branch into a magic flute.

But in addition to these uses, the call was known in the Neolithic for its healing and ... magical purposes.

These days, its white flowers cheer up our walks and will be so until July. Here is a good reason to learn more about this shrub that has been with us for a long time.

How to recognize a call?
Zova (Sambucus nigra) is a small tree that loses its leaves in autumn; however, it can reach ten meters in height. With an upright and very branched trunk, with a superficial root system that prefers nitrogen-rich soils, it has a large, dense and rounded shape.The leaves are petiolate, with a serrated edge, about 20 cm long and a pointed tip.

The flowers called are easily recognizable: small, white and star-shaped. They are grouped into umbrellas that can reach about twenty inches wide. The flowers are very fragrant, so much so that the presence of shoots can be recognized at tens of meters. When they ripen, the flowers turn into black-purple berries that remain on the trees from August to October.

Although berries are very popular with birds, they contain toxic substances for us that are eliminated only after cooking, so never eat them raw: they contain sambucin, a poisonous substance that releases hydrogen cyanide in the presence of water.

However, after cooking, the berries can be used in the preparation of delicious recipes.

He's calling in the kitchen

The use of the herb in herbal medicine has been known for centuries, and its various uses for the most common ailments have made it a kind of "pharmacy for the poor" in ancient times. Flowers and berries called were used in peasant culture as a panacea: flower herbal teas were used against diseases of the respiratory system, in order to reduce body temperature, but also to relieve joint pain. Cooked berries have a laxative and purifying effect, pine syrup is used against stomach pain.

As for use in the kitchen, thanks to the ripe berries, delicious marmalades, fermented drinks known as "sparkling wines of the poor" and fragrant syrups are still prepared today.

Recipe for homemade syrup called
(Ideal drink for summer heat. Recipe from the blog giallozafferano.it)Components: 15-20 flowers called 6 organic lemons 1/2 liter of water 1.5 kg of sugar (you can also use raw cane sugar) 1 tablespoon organic apple cider vinegar

Preparation Gently clean the flowers under running cold water. Then, in an airtight jar, alternately apply layers of flowers and lemon slices and cover with half a liter of water. Leave to stand for 48 hours in a cool place.Finally, filter the water with gauze, pour into a pot, add sugar and apple cider vinegar to the resulting liquid and cook for 5-10 minutes. Then leave to cool in the refrigerator.

Simply add the resulting syrup to cold water to get a strong, tasty and fragrant drink.
Try to make this delicious juice pleasant!