Flowery Prose

Oh, there's something about planting out that really makes you feel like the garden's going somewhere. This weekend the curcubits have finally gone out - no, scrap that. I hate that word; let's say the "squash family" have gone out. The celeriac, calabrese and brussels have been transplanted, and the last sowings of peas and beans are in. It's round about now that something mysterious happens in the garden and it all begins to look like it's been done on purpose. *sighs*

Aphid balance is a while in coming, though. There are ladybird adults and larvae all over the place, but the blackfly have already started on the broad beans and ants are farming greenfly and scaly wossnames all over the place, so I still need to wage my petty little war for a few days more. Not to mention the female blackbird who's found my strawberry patch...

But the big feature of today was that we finally got round to picking elderflowers, about a fortnight later than expected (but that's OK, the cool weather put them on hold for a bit) due to lack of two litre fizzy bottles. This drink is one of the joys of summer, and it's a doddle to make with no special equipment at all. Simply take...

...well, one elderflower tree really. That's a picture of one, you can't miss it. In fact, if you have a sense of smell you can't miss the blossoms either because they have a strong floral scent - I'm tempted to say they smell "green" but shall refrain. Synesthesia is such a personal thing. Anyhoo, you only need 5 or 6 "heads" of flowers to make a gallon of champagne, so what are you waiting for?

Pick nice young flower heads, where the flowers have not yet started to drop petals or turn brown. Don't leave them sitting around for hours, or the smell will change and your poor cat will be thrown out into the garden, accused of incontinence*. You'll get pollen on you, but don't worry. It doesn't stain. Boil a gallon (4.5 litres) of water in a large pan and leave it to cool, then throw in the elderflower heads (having shaken any bugs off them first) and a couple of sliced lemons. Put the lid on, and leave it for a 24 to 36 hours before straining it through a clean cloth or a sieve (if you don't mind a few petals - I don't). Add one and a half pounds (750g) of sugar and two tablespoons of cider vinegar, and stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Pour into bottles that will stand pressure - champagne bottles if you're posh, but to be honest I prefer lemonade bottles.

You're finished with the messy stuff now. Put the tops on to keep fruit flies out, but don't screw them on tight yet because the wild yeasts on the flowers go to work on the sugar - just stand the bottles in a corner and keep an eye on them until they don't seem to be fizzing any more - 7 to 14 days depending on the weather. Then screw the lids down, and put them somewhere without expensive carpet (in case they, you know. Explode). Give them another week or two to generate enough gas to carbonate themselves, and you're set - just refrigerate the bottle before you need it, and serve over ice with lemon. The drink is light and green floral, sort of like lemonade but with a beautiful flowery kick to it. Oh, and just a bit alcoholic. Try it once, and I defy you not to make it every year.

This year is quite a comedown for us, since we're only making a gallon - we usually make several (it keeps for up to three months supposedly but never gets the chance to at the Hollow. The very idea). This is because of another unexpected side effect of growing our own food and supermarketing less often; we don't tend to have many fizzy drinks bottles around any more, and will have to save some up for next year. I much prefer fizzy drinks bottles for elderflower champagne, because knowing when to screw the top on tightly is a black art. If you get it wrong with a glass bottle with a cork in it, you've got a sticky mess to clean up, possibly with broken glass in it. If you get it wrong with a plastic fizzy bottle, the "crimp" at the bottom pops out and the bottle may fall over. If this happens within the first day or so, you've jumped the gun so you need to let some of the pressure off daily until things slow down a bit. Most forgiving.

I have to 'fess up here and say that I've whipped the recipe from "Fruity Passions" by Margaret Vaughan & Mary Hardiman-Jones. This book's been out of print for a while now which is a real shame - not because it's a valuable recipe book (although it is) but because the text is screamworthy. I don't remember the BBC series on which the book is based, but I'd love to see it. MV comes across so much like Hyacinth Bucket that I refuse to believe that Patricia Routledge didn't base her characterization (or that of her earlier incarnation, Kitty, on MV. Let me give you a little sample from the recipe.

"Was it the tiny wild flower bouquets picked by Sarah's little daughter, the music, the food, the balmy night, the company or was it the Champagne that produced the spirit of happiness at that mid-summer soirée? Perhaps a little of each. Whatever, people still talk of it with pure pleasure..."

*Sorry, Treefrog. I haven't forgotten.