Sulfuric acid, that is.

I collected a pint glass full of Sambucus cerulea berries the from a big old bush on the side of the road a couple of days ago, and this evening I processed them to extract the seeds.

I put the berries in a big mixing bowl full of water and smashed them up with my fingers, then ran the water through a coarse strainer (to catch the skins and stems) and then a fine strainer to catch the seeds, which I then washed and spread out on a coffee filter to dry.

According to this USDA study, scarification with 90% sulfuric acid followed by 60 days of cold stratification is the most successful technique for germinating elder seeds, so that’s what I’m going to try.  Tomorrow I’ll find some sulfuric acid (at a pool supply store?), and then I think I’ll plant some of the seeds outdoors in pots, and put some in the fridge, and see if there’s any difference in germination rates.

UPDATE – The nice folks at Sierra Chemical Co. have sulfuric acid in the appropriate concentration. I’m going to head down there and see if I can pick up a pint or two.