Elder Flower Recipes

[Isabell Strange]

Elder Flower Cordial
1.5 litres of boiling water
1 kilo of white sugar
20 large elder flower heads (pick more if small make sure no flowers are brown)
4 lemons
55gms citric acid
1) In a deep bowl or saucepan pour boiling water over sugar and stir, leave to cool stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar
2) When cool add citric acid, the lemons zested and sliced and the elder flower heads.
3) Leave to steep 48 hours.
4) Strain twice through sterilised muslin.
5) pour into hot sterilised bottles.

Elder Flower Syrup (Cordial)
1.8 kg sugar
1.2 litres water
boil together to disolve sugar, and pour hot syrup over
20 large all white flower heads
2 lemons zested and sliced
75 gms citric acid
infuse 24 hours (covered)
strain and bottle

Elder Flower Champagne

8 litres water
1.25 kg sugar (2.5 lbs or 5 cups)
8 large elder flower heads
4 lemons
4 Tblsp mild white wine vinegar
boil water and pour over sugar to dissolve it, cool and add the elderflowers, juice of two of the lemons slices of the other two and the vinegar. cover with a cloth and leave for a day.
Strain squeezing flowers as you do to release more flavour.
Store in screw top bottles, ready in 10 days to a fortnight.
Keeps one month

[Virginia Clemas]

Thank you Isabell. I made the syrup as a cordial and it tastes delicious!

[Laine]

This is great! I planted an elder 18 months ago and hope to make some cordial or wine next season. When you say 'head's do you mean a whole 'bunch' off one stem (I think they are called umbrals)?

Thanks for the recipes.

Laine

[Isabell Strange]

Yes, the cluster of flowers on one stem.

[Lyn]

Can dried flowers be used for making this?

[Kristen Morse]

Have enjoyed these recipes, and am now making the 3rd batch of cordial and the first batch of champagne. Question about the Champagne recipe - the keeping life of a month when does that start from - when you 1st put it in the bottle or 2 weeks later when it is ready to drink? Also do the bottles need to be hot and sterilized when you put it in or just clean and dry. Do I need to put the bottles in the oven to heat first, like jam jars prior to filling with jam? Should you leave head room at the top of the bottle or fill to overflowing? Any help before tomorrow night when I am bottling this lot much appreciated. Thanks - Kristen

[Isabell Strange]

sorry kirsten just seen your reply
Not entirely sure about the keeping havent tested past a couple of weeks. You can bottle in plastic fizzy bottles so just scrupulously clean not hot when bottled. leave a bit of head room.
Glad you enjoyed the cordial, I first decided to make it on seeing it at $16.00 a 500ml bottle in a supermarket while visiting Auckland.

[Kristen Morse]

Thanks Isabell, I used 750mm glass bottles with screw caps and got 11 out of the recipe, ran out of bottles and tipped probably a bottle worth down the drain, sigh. So it gives a good yield. Now we are counting down the days to taste time. My cordial I have sold at our local market and will have my kids selling the made up drink at their school fair in a couple of weeks to make them selves a few pennies. The flowering season is still young so more to be had out there if you know where to find the bushes. We have a large tree on our boundary that I have decided to leave for berries so am picking from the bushes in the local park.

[Lyn]

Hi, Just wondering if you can use dried elderflowers for the champagne and cordial recipes?

[Isabell Strange]

I don't think so, definitely not for the cordial as the flowers need to be all white, no brown and drying would cause them to at least yellow a bit. and I'm pretty sure not for the champagne.

[Kristen Morse]

Made the champagne but have failed to notice any alcoholic effect. Is it meant to be alcoholic or does the name just refer to it being fizzy? I did wonder as the recipe has no yeast. It has kept well - still drinking it and benefits from being very cold for serving as it is really sweet. Wondering about the alcohol as the kids wanted to try some and we said no - they are only 10. Anyone else made it up?

[Laine]

Hi, I made some cordial a while back and it did not taste much like elderflower. I ended up adding some dried flowers I had in the cupboard to get it right, but am wondering if there are different elder types or something? I already put more than the recipe asked for so not sure where I went wrong. Do the flowers need picking with the dew on them or dry? Any tips would be appreciated.

Ive been juicing the berries with wheat grass shots this week - a great way to use them in short time.

Smiles

Laine

[Megan]

here is another method of making elderflower cordial -

a supermarket bag full of elderflowers; lemon zest; orange zest; water & sugar; lemon juice

Trim all the stalks off the flowers; place in a pot and cover with water, press down with a plate to keep the flowers submerged. Add a tablespoon each of orange and lemon zest (I use seville orange zest which I freeze when the fruit is in season).

Leave to steep a few days - the water will turn a pale golden colour.

Line a colander with a clean tea towel/piece of muslin (rinse thoroughly with boiling water or else you'll be able to taste your soap powder:(   and strain out the flowers.

Measure the elderflower infusion and for every litre of elderflower water weigh out 500 g sugar and half the quantity of lemon juice (ie: to each litre water; 500ml lemon juice).

Gradually add the lemon juice to the water, tasting as you go to ensure that you don't overwhelm the flavour of the elderflowers.

To ensure that you have enough lemon juice on hand, measure the water when you steep the elderflowers,  squeeze the lemon juice in advance and freeze in silicon texas muffin tins which hold 200ml liquid. Transfer to a ziplock bag when frozen.

Bring to the boil and add sugar 500g at a time. After each addition of sugar, boil until it's dissolved and make up a glass to check for sweetness. 

Depending on the tartness of the lemons, you may need to add more sugar. I prefer my cordial less sweet.

Pour the cordial into sterilised screw top bottles and if you've got lots, put them in a water bath for an hour or so and they'll keep indefinitely. Once opened though, it needs to be refrigerated.

Laine - if you have a choice of elderflower trees, sniff all the flowers from each before picking them. Some have a grassy smell and don't taste as nice. Usually, the ones with the best scent are always too close to the road :(   Fortunately, they grow wild here so can always find somewhere out of the way to pick my flowers!