![]() He’s picking flowers as soon as the rain stops. The berries might be good too, but Brent isn’t waiting for them to come on this year. Valerie continues, “We’ve discovered that the teas do a really good job of providing all the health benefits that people are wanting.” Those dried buds make soap, skin care products, and lots of tea.Įlderberries are elder flowers are high in vitamin C and anti-oxidants. They also pick the flowers and dry them in a special room in the barn. Valerie Madding points out, “I think the hardest thing we’re doing right now is choosing where to focus.” They ship small plants all over the country. “These are elderberry cuttings that are in propagation,” says Brent in the greenhouse. Their aquaponic system grows elderberries and some other herbs from seed. He’s got 14 different varieties growing now, no pesticides or herbicides needed.īrent and his wife Valerie operate a greenhouse nursery. “The genetics of the Oklahoma varieties were at the top of the list,” he says, “So it just kind of snowballed from there.” He almost chose blueberries but switched course when he found out that a whole bunch of the commercial elderberry varieties came from eastern Oklahoma in the first place. Madding continues, “We were interested in growing some type of super food here.” It’s been 8 years since he moved back close to home looking for something healthy to grow. “This is a variety discovered right here in Muskogee County,” he says holding a big cluster of blooming, white flowers. “Normally you’ll find them along tree lines, old fence lines, or old road beds,” he says.Īs a grown man, he’s still learning just how valuable they can be as a cash crop. WEBBERS FALLS, OKLAHOMA - As a little kid roaming these pastures south of town, Brent Madding must have skipped past hundreds of Elderberry plants growing wild. ![]() Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated.
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