This scorcher of a summer’s day has sent me scuttling into my cool, dark blogging cave. The sweet, subtlety floral tang of elderflower cordial is on my lips, a perfect pairing with a 35C day.
Forever the victim of romantic rather than practical gardening notions I bought an elderberry in my first year of gardening. It soared skywards, exulting in the chicken yard muck it was rooted in. Three years passed and I never got around to doing anything with the flowers, I moved house with a broken elderberry branch in hand and just sort of stuck pieces of it in the ground. It really suckers like crazy so I was quietly hopeful that something would strike; the result was a mini elderberry forest outside my bathroom window. It is really a delightful plant for a capricious gardener, who flits from whim to whim and neglects everything but the latest obsession (which happens to be a mini lily pond).
My southern elderberry grove has thrived in shade with only the water that dribbles out of the tap. This summer its leaves are tickling the eaves and with base in the shade and tops soaking up the sun it seems to be taller each time I look at it. Its shallow, “non-threatening root system” and low water demand make it a lower risk for planting near the house. It has also thrived in full sun in the food forest when planted in the cooler months. (Not much has relished a high summer planting in full sun.) A fun fact about elderberries is that they are pollinated by flies, so I guess flies aren’t completely useless then. A less fun fact is that the leaves, stalks and stems contain a toxin called sambunigrin, that’s why a fork is part of my utensils list of this recipe. Intrigued? Read on!
Recipe
Takes 24 hours
25 Elderflower heads
Peel of 3 lemons + 1 orange
Juice of 3 lemons + 1 orange
1 kg sugar
1 tsp citric acid (optional – Citric acid is a preservative so if you are drinking within 2 weeks and keeping refrigerated it is unnecessary)
1.5 Litres of boiling water
My elderflowers are heavy with blossoms and all the trendiest cafes are serving elderflower soda, seems like a good time to try my hand at making my own. It turned out to be fairly easy, but you need to leave the flowers steeping overnight so make sure you give yourself plenty of time. Goes delightfully well with Tortilla de Patatas on a hot summer’s night. I’ve also added it to kombuca for some added fizz.
Elderflowers are antibacterial, antiviral and anticatarral, so with a little luck it will balance out that delicious kilo of sugar. When fighting a cold elderflower tea with a spoon full of honey might be a better medicine.
Your kitchen kit
For harvesting (Basket, Secateurs, Newspaper, Fork)
For infusing (Large bowl, Potato peeler, Sharp knife, Chopping board, Tea towel, Lemon squeezer, Jar (for citrus juice),
For straining (Large strainer, Cheesecloth/muslin, Springform cake tin (optional) – I used this to prop up the strainer while the syrup dripped through as my saucepan was shallow, Tea spoon)
For cooking (Saucepan, Wooden spoon)
For Bottling (Ladle, Sterilised bottles for cordial – I wash with soapy water, put in cool oven on top of tea towel and turn up heat to 150C. When they are dry I turn off oven and leave warm until ready for bottling.)
I hope you try this at home and enjoy on a balmy evening. Do you have any other recipes that are perfect for a hot day? Let me know in the comments below.