ElderFlowers - make your own cordial

Hooray, it's finally that time of the year, my no.1 most favourite blossom / flower has to be the elderflower. The delicate small white flowers with a scent that is so intoxicating when it fills the air on a beautiful sunny day. This has always been my favourite time of year when I can go out foraging for these wonderful clusters of flower heads, scouring the hedgerows and collecting bagfuls of them to make my homemade elderflower cordial. I've been making it for nearly ten years now and always have my freezer stocked with bottles of it so I can enjoy it throughout the year. Thankfully it usually works out that I am down to my last bottle or two just about the beginning of May ready to make a fresh batch for the year ahead. Though last year I wasn't able to make as much as I was pregnant and suffering with the heat so I ran out awhile ago and can't wait to taste that all familiar zing of the cordial that I will never get bored of.

So much so that I have already spotted some elder flowering across the road and went out last night to gather some after I made the nettle beer, batch number one is already steeping and will be ready to strain and bottle tomorrow, can't wait!

The elder has a long history and is disliked by some as it can overtake a garden or hedge and grows very high and can be hard to eradicate, but this amazing plant has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries. The leaves, flowers and berries have all been used to help treat different diseases and ailments. In folklore you always planted an elder near your home to keep the devil away and in some English gardens they used to plant it near the entrance as a form of protection.

I am just happy to appreciate and forage for its white flowers and then go back for the dark black berries later on so I can make cordial, elderflower champagne, elderflower fritters and wine, jam and jelly from the ripe berries. Here is the recipe for the cordial or syrup as it is known in parts of Europe, it is really easy to make but remember because it makes a concentrated syrup then there is alot of sugar in the recipe and you will need to dilute the end product by using one part cordial to five parts water, or adjust to your taste. I have included a picture taken last night of my first batch steeping. The citric acid used to be sold in chemists like boots but not sure if they have stopped selling it, I now buy it from my local brewing suppliers or you can buy it online at sites such as amazon, eBay or google your local stockist. It is best to pick the flowers on a beautiful sunny day as they are open fully and their scent seems stronger giving your cordial more flavour. Snip of as little of the green main stalk as possible when you are collecting them.

Elderflower Cordial

three lemons

1.5 litres of water

1.5 kilos of sugar

60g of citric acid

20 elderflower heads

Do not wash the flowerheads as they will lose some of their flavour and scent but instead just inspect them carefully for insects and brush off any dirt or debris.

Remove any brown flower heads and the much of the green stalks as you can as these can make your cordial bitter. Put the elderflowers into a large bowl, bucket or pan.

Use a peeler to remove the lemon peel taking care not to get too much pith. Slice the lemons and discard the ends, then put in the bowl with the flowers.

Place the water and sugar into a pan and simmer on a medium heat, stirring all the time until the sugar is dissolved.

Take off the heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes and then pour gently over the elderflowers and stir carefully. The flowers will tinge with brown but this is ok. Be careful as sugar syrup can get very hot and it will stick to your skin and give you a nasty burn which is why it is best to cool the syrup slightly before pouring it over the flowers just in case it splashes you.

Stir in the citric acid and cover the pan or bowl with a cloth and leave to steep for 48hours, stirring once the next day.

Strain through a muslin, cheesecloth or jelly bag. Then fill up your sterilised bottles and it is good to be kept for several weeks in the fridge or you can freeze some if it lasts long enough :)

The syrup can be used to make jelly as well as a drink and i hope to be enjoying a glass of this delicious refreshing cordial tomorrow when I post more on this blog. Go on try some, you know you want to :0)

If you would like to learn more about my exploits foraging for free wild food and the recipes I have cooked with my herbs and grow your own then please have a look at some of my other posts :)

Close up of the Elder Flowers

The elder flowers steeping in the sugar syrup mixture