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Didn't know where to put this and as Elderflowers are at their prime and so right now is the time to make it.
20 large heads of elderflower
4lb gran sugar
75g Citric acid (from chemist, health food or wine/beer makers store, you may have to ask as it's sometimes kept under the counter. I think druggies have a use for it)
2 lemons
Remove flowers from green stalks with a pair of scissors into a large bowl.
Place sugar in a pan with 2 pints of water Bring gently up to the boil stirring till sugar is disolved
Pour over elderflowers and stir in citric acid.
Add grated zest of lemons
Then slice lemons and add slices to the bowl.
Cover leave for 24 hrs
Strain through muslin and pour into sterilised bottles.
Store in cool place.
To use dilute to taste with water but very good with gin or fizzy water. Can also be poured over pancakes or used as the bought Belvoir Elderflowercordial.
Another varient of this is Elderflower and Organge Cordial
25 heads of elderflower
1.35 kg of sugar
50g Tartaric acid (cream of tartar)
1 sliced lemon
4 sliced oranges
1.7 litres water
Separate flowers from stalks as above and bring to boil in water in a large pan.
When cooled add all the other ingredients to pan.
leave for 24 hrs
Strain and bottle as above.
The bowl you leave the elderflowers to stand in 24hrs needs to be at least 4 litres or you will have to divide it into two bowls. Also it needs to be acid resistant ie:Stainless steel, glass, pot, not aluminium.
Last edited by Ted_Hutchinson; 18-06-2005 at 5:37 PM..
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Can anyone tell me how I identify elderflowers? I like the cordial and would love to try making it but I'm scared incase I pick the wrong thing and poison everyone
BG for Northern Ireland I'm a volunteer and can't read every post. Abusive or illegal posts should be reported to abuse@moneysavingexpert.com Views are mine and not officially moneySavingExpert.com
Can anyone tell me how I identify elderflowers? I like the cordial and would love to try making it but I'm scared incase I pick the wrong thing and poison everyone
Squeaky's picture is good, you will also recognise the smell but be a bit careful where you pick them, roadside ones will have picked up traffic fumes
Now squeaky I'm going to be dense here. Do they grow as a bush or what? There are things like this growing in ditches near me but I'm convinced that they are a similar looking weed thing. That's why I'm scared to pick them. They don't smell anything like the elderflower scent either, or does the scent only come out after you do whatever with it.
BG for Northern Ireland I'm a volunteer and can't read every post. Abusive or illegal posts should be reported to abuse@moneysavingexpert.com Views are mine and not officially moneySavingExpert.com
Cross posted tycoon and you've answered my query, I think
BG for Northern Ireland I'm a volunteer and can't read every post. Abusive or illegal posts should be reported to abuse@moneysavingexpert.com Views are mine and not officially moneySavingExpert.com
The scent comes out when the weather is right, sometimes on a still warm day, and yes, they are a like a weed that grows in hedgerows and ditches. They seed themselves easily so travel around where there is no-one to stop them, if you look how the ones you have seen grow you should see many stems growing from the ground
edit....I just picked some that overhangs our garden, each flower has 5 petals and 5 spikey anthers (?)
Last edited by apprentice tycoon; 18-06-2005 at 6:58 PM..
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I should have pointed out that Elder is a hedgerow small tree or bush. So the growth comes from a woody trunk.
You should check them for fragrance before picking.
They do vary and some smell a bit like cats pee so avoid those and only pick those that a pleasently fragrent.
Best picked in full sun, so tomorrow morning should be just right.
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what's the difference between elderflowers, ground elder and cow parsley?
(sorry if it's a silly question - I'm an urban girl, well suburban anyway, but i recognise ground elder all right!! can't get rid of the [..... ]stuff from the garden)
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Hi, Can I just check before I poison my family , are there any poisonous plants that look like elderflower? Im only double checking cos I remember when I was young being told not to pick flowers which look like the ones in Squeakys post cos they were poisonous. Or was that my mum just being paranoid and telling my to pick nothing in case I did pick something dodgy? I think I might have millions of elderflower growing in my untamed garden ...yay
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Elder (sambucus nigra) is a shrub that makes about ten feet with a corky bark. Leaves are usually in groups of five, large, dark green and slightly toothed. Flowers are umbrels (umbrella like clusters to you and me) of numerous cream white flowers. (it is suggested that you check flowers for insects but do not wash them as this removes most of the fragrance)
Ground Elder (aegopodium podagraria) Found in shady places, a hairless perennial forming large patches 30-100cm 12-40in high. Leaves finely toothed in groups of three at the end of leaf stems. Flowers are white umbrels on a creeping hairless stem.
Cow Parsley (anthriscus sylvestris) An erect leafy perennial about 1m 3ft high with hollow green furrowed stems hairy near the bottom of the plant and smooth above. Leaves are grass green, slightly downy and much divided resembling wedge shaped ferns. Flowers tiny white in umbrels.
Parts of each of these are edible in the proper season - though it's easy to confuse Cow Parsley with Fool's Parsley and Hemlock so you should have a good field guide to hand when picking.
Most of these details came from my very handy Collin's Gem version of Food For Free by Richard Mabey
"The brain is a wonderful organ; it starts the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get to the office." - Robert Frost.
Last edited by squeaky; 19-06-2005 at 10:44 AM..
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Duh ...it seems that its cow parsley littering my garden but now im elderflower in the brain so need to go and hunt some down!! Would you reccomend the Collins Gem food for free book then Squeaky?
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Yes, gladly. It tells you which part of which flowers you can eat and when and often gives tips on preparation too.
As you can see, the descriptions are good, the pictures and drawings are spot on - and if you're in any doubt you can look up more images by using the latin name in a google image search (which is what I did earlier in the thread)
My copy was 2nd hand from Amazon £2 ish, as opposed to £4.99
The title is Food for Free
Collins gem edition
by Richard Mabey
ISBN 0-00-718303-8
"The brain is a wonderful organ; it starts the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get to the office." - Robert Frost.
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Elder (sambucus nigra) is a shrub that makes about ten feet with a corky bark. Leaves are usually in groups of five, large, dark green and slightly toothed. Flowers are umbrels (umbrella like clusters to you and me) of numerous cream white flowers. (it is suggested that you check flowers for insects but do not wash them as this removes most of the fragrance)
Ground Elder (aegopodium podagraria) Found in shady places, a hairless perennial forming large patches 30-100cm 12-40in high. Leaves finely toothed in groups of three at the end of leaf stems. Flowers are white umbrels on a creeping hairless stem.
Cow Parsley (anthriscus sylvestris) An erect leafy perennial about 1m 3ft high with hollow green furrowed stems hairy near the bottom of the plant and smooth above. Leaves are grass green, slightly downy and much divided resembling wedge shaped ferns. Flowers tiny white in umbrels.
Parts of each of these are edible in the proper season - though it's easy to confuse Cow Parsley with Fool's Parsley and Hemlock so you should have a good field guide to hand when picking.
Most of these details came from my very handy Collin's Gem version of Food For Free by Richard Mabey
Thanks very much for this.
Don't suppose you know how to get rid of ground elder (or bindweed) among all your other accomplishments.....??!
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Ground elder - you cook like spinach it has a tangy aromatic flavour and was probably introduced here by the romans!
I'm not sure about Bindweed - it's not listed in my book - but a google on it tells me that the latin name is different to the one I have for ground elder.
They ain't the same animal, honest
"The brain is a wonderful organ; it starts the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get to the office." - Robert Frost.
Last edited by squeaky; 20-06-2005 at 10:14 PM..
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before retiring (as i like to call sloping off to bed) I have informed OH that we will be going for a countryside walk down the lane near our house this week and picking elderflowers for cordial the making of. he didn't look that interested but I've got to be enthusiastic when he gets his telescope set up so it's an even trade................. edlerberry syrup is also very good for coughs so i shall try and leave some flowers on the tree to develop for when I'm back!
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Yes, gladly. It tells you which part of which flowers you can eat and when and often gives tips on preparation too.
As you can see, the descriptions are good, the pictures and drawings are spot on - and if you're in any doubt you can look up more images by using the latin name in a google image search (which is what I did earlier in the thread)
My copy was 2nd hand from Amazon £2 ish, as opposed to £4.99
The title is Food for Free
Collins gem edition
by Richard Mabey
ISBN 0-00-718303-8
And guess what my fab husband brought me a copy of back from our local recycling yard today . And it is a fab book .... I cant wait to get out there and see what I can feed us all
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I've still got to sit and peruse it with with intent. I'm one of those people who can only name six plants so I'll have to have a good idea of what I'm looking for before wandering out book in hand.
The other day I almost joined the what have you eaten from your garden thread because I was going to pick some dandelion leaves for a salad - but the slugs and snails had beaten me to it! Bah humbug!
"The brain is a wonderful organ; it starts the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get to the office." - Robert Frost.
Pls be nice to all MoneySavers. There's no such thing as a stupid question, and even if you disagree courtesy helps. Take care over copyright. Use excerpts and links rather than copying long text. This site asserts copyright on all comments posted on the board.
Pls be nice to all MoneySavers. There's no such thing as a stupid question, and even if you disagree courtesy helps.
Elderflower Cordial
, are there any poisonous plants that look like 
. And it is a fab book .... I cant wait to get out there and see what I can feed us all 
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