857 40th Street, Clayton, Wisconsin 54004, United States
Here are the elderberry cultivars that we currently offer at Regeneration Acres along with some information and descriptions of each. Keep in mind that plants perform differently in different locations. What thrives in one area might struggle in another. But these are the general attributes of each cultivar. These are the two types that elderberries can be:
Determinate- The harvest basically happens all at once (not exactly all at once but over a week or so.) This is helpful for larger operations that have access to a crew of people for a short time and desire to get the harvest and processing done in one main big event.
Indeterminate- The harvest takes place over time. You can find flowers, unripe berries, and ripe berries all on the same plant over weeks. This is helpful when you only have a small crew that can do the harvest over time, and also when you don't have large processing capacity.
1926 New York
Indeterminate variety. Tall. Vigorous grower. Strong primocane. Some winemakers mix in Adams because they claim that this cultivar gives a tannin factor to the wine. Don't tell the other cultivars but this one is my favorite because I love that it is an indeterminate and I can walk through the rows and see the flowers for weeks :)
1999 Missouri
Determinate variety. Shorter. Cymes (flower stems) bend towards the ground as the berries mature which discourages birds from eating the fruit. Prolific berry yielder; is the cultivar most large operations use but as I said before: different plants perform differently in different places.
1954 Nova Scotia
Determinate variety. Shorter. Very upright growth. Smaller yield per plant but berries are significantly larger than the rest. Some winemakers prefer Johns because of this trait. Pruning in northern climates is different than the other cultivars: it works best to leave a couple of nodes on a few canes instead of mowing all canes to the ground like on the rest so it's a little more labor intensive that way. Johns is the first to break bud in the spring and the first to produce berries.
1800's Oklahoma
Determinate variety. Very tall and strong. Early crop (the second once behind Johns.) This variety does very well in the northern climate. It is by far the hardiest cultivar at the farm.
1995 Oklahoma
Indeterminate variety. Shorter and more pendulant ("weeping") growth so it needs more space between rows. Berries have the highest brix (sugar content) of all varieties, making them a more preferred berry with winemakers.