 |
| Flowers grouped in 'saucers' or 'umbrels' |
 |
| Trees can be large or just bushes |
 |
| Lovely sweet fragrant Elderflowers |
 |
Horrible stinky cat-wee smelling flowers - Gack!
|
Saturday is supposed to be bright and sunny - perfect for gathering elderflowers for cordial, that which even I as a hardened anti-cook, can make.
Give it a try it's really easy and very satisfying.
you'll need,
- 30 umbrels/heads of elderflowers - not the stinky ones and not ones from near a road (petrol fumes pooh!)
- 1k granulated sugar
- 1.5l boiling water
- 4 medium lemons
- 55g citric acid - if you haven't got this, use 2 more lemons or 2 oranges.
- Place the sugar into a large saucepan/stockpot or a large Pyrex bowl. Pour the boiling water over and stir until all the sugar has dissolved and leave to cool.
- Grate the rind of the lemons/oranges with a fine grater, add to the sugar water.
- Slice the lemons/oranges into thick slices and add to the water. Add the citric acid (if you have it) and stir, then finally add the flower heads to the water and stir again.
- Cover with a clean cloth and leave to steep for 48 hours.
- Remove the larger bits of stalk/fruit and strain the rest through clean fine muslin cloth or a clean tea-towel into a clean bowl. I lay the cloth over the empty bowl, tie string round the rim to keep it in place
- Using a funnel, fill sterilized bottles. Seal and store in a cool, dark place (not the refrigerator).
The cordial is delicious diluted with still or fizzy water or used as a flavoring in ice creams or in fruit fools.Once a bottle is opened store in the refrigerator.
