PORT ST. LUCIE PEOPLE
The HERBALIST
Growing up in West Virginia, Morgan Delgado was
raised in the country and clearly remembers buying
local goods in her hometown.
“There weren’t the big box stores that we have here in Port
St. Lucie,” Delgado says. “We bought our meat from a local
butcher, veggies, eggs and milk from local farmers, and other
handmade goods from around town.”
Delgado was raised by her grandparents in Hurricane,
West Virginia. She describes them as hardworking people
who strove to teach Delgado important lifeskills and ways to
be more self-sufficient. Her grandfather worked for a large
agricultural biotech corporation and her grandmother was a
homemaker, who raised Delgado and her older sister.
“We had a very traditional upbringing, with strict curfews,
church every Sunday and supper at 4:30 p.m., on the dot!” Delgado
says. “Our town was small enough that no matter where
we went, someone recognized us ‘when we were this big.’ ”
In the countryside, elderberry syrup was a staple in almost
everyone’s household. The syrup was often taken when one
ANTHONY INSWASTY PHOTOS
felt a common cold or flu creeping up. Other times, it was
used to combat seasonal allergies or sinus issues.
Elderberries are native to the eastern United States and
parts of Mexico. In West Virginia, the shrub forms thickets
that sprawl around wet and low-lying areas. The plant flowers
in the summer months and produces its much-coveted
berries in late summer to fall. The leaves, bark, root and unripened
berries are toxic, but ripe berries can be cooked down
to create jams, preserves, wine and syrup.
“Elderberry syrup contains so many amazing health benefits,
but it can be rather pricey,” Delgado says. “When I lived
in West Virginia, I was a young kid and didn’t worry about
the cost because it was all homemade.”
Delgado moved to Florida in 2006 and graduated high
school when she was 16 by taking virtual classes from Indian
River State College. Her mother lived in Port St. Lucie and she
thought it a great opportunity to live in sunny South Florida.
“My roots are very country, so moving to this area was a
complete change for me,” Delgado says. “Right after receiv-
36 Port St. Lucie Magazine
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A West Virginia transplant, Morgan Delgado was raised to be frugal and live off the land as much as possible.
BY RACHEL CUCCURULLO