How to make elderflower cordial and wine
The English summer is said to start when the elder blossoms and end with its ripening berries. The citrus aroma floating down country lanes also heralds a bountiful harvest for the forager and home-brewer.
Andy Hamilton, 33, co-author of The Self Sufficientish Bible, explains his fondness for the elder: ‘Elderflower 'Champagne' is such a refreshing, effervescent drink, and it's free. Elderflower cordial costs more as the bottles get smarter and it's seen as a luxury, which seems ludicrous to me. I know that you can make it for next to nothing.'
Here, we provide recipes for some delicious and very economical treats, from cordial to fritters. The flowers taste best picked early on a dry, hot day, and speed is crucial: they should be used straight after picking. The cream-coloured heads (or umbels) are tastier than the white, and don't worry if they smell unappetising at first once they're infused, the heady scent is delicious.Choose umbels free of discolouring and keep them dry until you're ready to begin.
Diluted with water or lemonade, served with lemon and mint, elderflower cordial is just the thing for a summer's day. It can also make a refreshing sorbet or tasty gin mixer. ‘Up to 1,000 people hit our website (www.selfsufficientish.com) every day looking for elderflower recipes,' says Mr Hamilton, ‘and I make mine up in a bucket, a bit like Tom and Barbara Good. It's a magical thing to create something so wonderful out of a few simple ingredients.'
* Subscribe to Country Life; Get Country Life on IPad
Folklore
* One name for it is the Judas Tree, as it was thought to be the tree Judas Iscariot hanged himself from
* To fell a tree without suitable protection could free a spirit called the Elder Mother to take her revenge
* The elderflower was said to be a protection against witches, and a knotted twig kept in the pocket was a charm against rheumatism
* Elderflowers were apparently never struck by lightning, and a cross of elder fastened above stables would protect the animals from evil Medicinal benefits
* Elderflower cordials and elderberry wines are high in vitamins A, B and C
* In A Modern Herbal of 1931, Mrs Grieves recommends an elderflower infusion, taken hot before bed, as a remedy for colds and throat trouble
* Mrs Grieves swears by elder leaves as an insect deterrent. The foul-smelling bruised leaves around tender plants and buds prevent attack by aphids and cater-pillars, and gardeners can add a sprig to their hatband to ward off midges
* Medical herbalist Christine Houghton says a daily elderflower infusion, made with fresh flowers, is helpful in preventing hay fever
Elderflower cordial
An easy one to make, it's best consumed within two weeks, although it'll keep for a month if bottled and can be frozen in plastic bottles (leave some space, as the liquid expands)
Ingredients
20 elderflower heads
2½ pints boiling water
3½lbs sugar
1 sliced lemon 2tsp
citric acid (available from the chemist)
Method
Put all the dry ingredients into a clean pan and pour boiling water over them. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Skim off the surface scum. Cover with a cloth or lid. Stir twice daily for five days. Strain through a muslin and bottle.
Elderflower ‘Champagne'
A summer drink similar to elderflower pressé
Ingredients
8 large elderflower heads
2 gallons water
2½lbs sugar
4 lemons
4tbsp mild white wine vinegar
Method
Dissolve the sugar in boiling water, leave to cool and add the elderflowers, the juice of two of the lemons, slices of the other two and the vinegar. Cover with a cloth and leave for a day. Strain with a fine sieve or muslin, squeezing the flowers. Store in screw-top bottles. It'll be ready in about a fortnight and should be drunk within a month.
Elderflower Wine
Ingredients
1 pint elderflowers (destalked)
8 pints boiling water
3lbs sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Grated rind of 1 lemon
½oz yeast
Method
Add lemon rind to the elderflowers, pour boiling water over them and stand for four days, stirring occasionally. Strain through a fine sieve or muslin, then stir in sugar, lemon juice and yeast. Ferment at room temperature (not below 18˚C). When the bubbling has ceased, stir the wine and allow to settle for three days. Strain again carefully. Put in a demijohn to mature for three months, then bottle.
Comments
Sarah
My elderflower champagne has been fermenting in platic bottles for a week. I tasted it this morning and it is horrid. It has not cleared, it has a bitter, acidic almost vinegary taste.
What has gone wrong? Is there a way to rescue it before I throw it away?
becky
I have some elderflower cordial that i made last year that has fermented natuarally, does anyone think i could make it into wine, if so how? I have a demi-john. It already smells alchoholic but not unpleasant, it is fairly clear but has some sediment.
Emma-Louise G Johns
If you have mould on the froth it will be fine as long as you use a fine muslin to sieve the liquor later on. Generally speaking the yeast will manage to denature the mould later on. Most moulds on natural products are penecillins which generally won't be harmful. The mycelium is only into the surface of the froth and will not really invade the liquid. Black moulds tend to be much more poisonous, for eg ergot on rye. If you are concerned then start again making sure your equipment is sterile to begin. Pick the flowers really early in the morning, when all the flowers are open. Start the champagne straight away to avoid wilting. Don't wash the elderflowers as this removes the natural yeasts around the pollen and will impede fermentation. Read the blogs on Allotment.org and Farm in my pocket to give you some reassurance. I'm sure it'll taste delicious.
Linda
My elderflower wine is still in demijohn because it hasn't cleared. Can anyone help?
Alan Boyles
The best tactic is to ensure all your equipment and bottles are sterile: the lemon juice, though it does contain citric acid, is included more for flavour than preservative powers. Good luck!
Lady Alexandra Etherington
Elderflower champagne. mine has got some mould growing.
which is obvious as there is no citric acid. but if you added that its very similar to the cordial, except for the white wine vinegar.
what shall i do?