Hmm. Making elderflower-related beverages until 10.30pm with only the prospect of strawberry jam tomorrow? It must be the start of Keats weather, so I thought I might inflict you all with a quick recipe. This being the last weekend to gather elderflowers in the south of England, here's Cheryl's recipe for elderflower cordial to go with the elderflower champagne recipe I posted a couple of years ago (and in case you're wondering, I've made four gallons (18 litres) of that this year).
A single quantity of cordial makes about three litres, enough for four standard (75cl) wine bottles. Screw tops are best. The cordial keeps for four to six weeks in the fridge, but if you freeze it (leave the tops loose and don't fill the bottles right up!) it keeps for a whole year.
Put 30 elderflower heads into a large plastic bowl or bucket, along with 2kg of sugar and 50g citric acid (you can get this from any chemist or homebrew supply shop). Cut two lemons in half, juice them, and then throw both the juice and the skins into the bucket with everything else. Pour over two litres of boiling water, stir until all the sugar has dissolved, and then cover lightly with a lid or a clean tea towel.
Leave for three days to infuse, stirring well once a day, and then fish out the fruit and flowers. Pour through a seive (or if you want to be really posh, a straining bag to remove all the odds and sods), and then pour into wine bottles that have been heated up in the oven and then left to cool to sterilize them. And that's it - what, twenty minutes work? And the kitchen smells wonderful afterwards!
If you've got any favourite elderflower recipes, post them - enquiring minds want to know!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Elderflower cordial
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7 comments:
Don't forget to leave some elderflowers so you'll get berries later in the year. Elderberry wine, port and relish all worth the wait.
Thankfully, not a problem around here! We can scarcely move for elder, and in the autumn purple birdcrap is an easy way of identifying the cars of people who live in the country...
I've never played with the flowers. We make elderberry wine, and last year I made an elderberry cough syrup that tastes so good you could serve it over ice cream...
The elderflower finally started opening yesterday, when we had a lovely sunny day with temperatures hitting 20C. Of course, we couldn't take advantage of it as we had to drive to Aberdeen for dental checkups (just under two hours to get to the dentist, then another 90 minutes to get home.)
Never mind, we thought. We can start picking elderflower tomorrow.
Ha!
Today, the temperature topped out at 9C, there's been continuous overcast all day and, despite the media reports of a nation-wide drought, it's bucketed down rain. And still is.
Either our summer is over already or we can expect our next sunny day when we have to leave the croft for several hours to do something else.
Sad that you're not posting much any more. :-( I've been reading your blog for a long time and really miss it. You've really been an inspiration for me with your intended sustainability. Thanks for all you've written.
Gayle: I know! Isn't it good? I made one with cloves and ginger... mmm!
Stoney: Still having trouble with your teeth? Sympathy. We've just had our first serious rain since the beginning of March, and it's sorely needed. The year before last was the wettest in ages, last year was the coldest in ages, this year's been the driest in ages. Let's have some consistency in our climate change!
Beth: Thanks for your kind words! I kind of miss it myself, and will try to find more time for it. I am, though I say it myself, crap.
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