Is it illegal to pick elderflowers?

Ted_Hutchinson

I use Sophie Grigson's recipe
You may need to start asking around about where to buy Citric Acid. Some people don't sell it as it can be used by druggies. The best places are shops where they sell home brew supplies. But it's worth knowing you need to get the citric acid BEFORE you pick the flowers.

thriftlady_2

I've bought citric acid from the pharmacy in Tesco without any problems

twink

i fancy doing the elderberry cordial, but assume i have to sterilize the bottles? whats the easiest way to do that

thriftlady_2

When I make jam,I sterilise the jars by washing them in hot soapy water,rinsing and putting in the oven at 100c for about half an hour.I've never had any problems with my jams and chutneys going off

dbs

I use campden tablets one tablet per bottle so the cordial can be preserved also I use beer bottles with a fliptop hinged opening which I have saved over the years.

Coveredinbees!!!!

Elder is just a gigantic weed, I had a huge elder bush growing in my garden when we moved in and had a devil of a job killing the thing. There is bit of it everwhere in my hedges it's horrocious.I'll send you all the flowers if you want them.

doddsy

Coveredinbees!!!! - love your sig :rotfl:

My friend makes gorgeious elderflower cordial, puts it in plastic drinks bottles and freezes it. Lovely and refreshing on a hot day.

calleyw

beer2006 wrote:

Try not to pick them, as someone said where they might have been sprayed,

I would love to know how you going to know that. I am farmers daugther and I would not be able to tell you if they have been sprayed. Unless I stood and watched the field everyday for weeks. Or if had just been sprayed and you could still smell it or have just seen the tractor come out of the field.

If you want to pick things like elderflowers etc befriend a local farmer they will tell you the best spots and give you permission. So if you are stopped by anyone you can then you have farmer browns permission to be there.

Also DON'T wander off the foot paths. The foot paths are the public right of way. But no other bit of the field is so that does not mean you can just wandering where ever you like. If you can't find where the footpath goes then walk around the very edge of the field and not through the middle be it crops or animals.

One way to get up farmers noses is to just wander all over there land leaving gates open and dogs mess everywhere and letting dogs off leads. (Note: I am not suggesting that is what you will do but there are plently that do). And parking in gateways as well. Just because there are no tractors in the field when you arrive does not mean that they will not want access 10 mins after you go off for a 2 hour walk.

A farmers field is a work area just like a factory. And you would not be allowed to just wander around a factory because you felt like.

Now before someone thinks I am grumpy farmers daughter I am not. Farmers are happy to allow you access to the footpaths across their land. As long as adhere to the the country code rules and think about what you are doing.

Hope you get the elderflowers you want and make some yummy wine.

Yours


Calley

Debt_Free_Chick

Strictly speaking, the flowers belong to the landowner (i.e. owner of the land on which the tree is growing). Also, you need to consider how you can legitimately get to the trees ... if on a public footpath, then access is OK. If not, you will be tresspassing unless you have permission to access the land.

Leaving aside access, I've not come across a landowner who got upset at people picking stuff from the hedgerows, but unless you are sure who you're dealing with, it's always best to ask - just to avoid a potential ear-bashing

moggins

I used to pick them for a local company a few years ago, they paid £1 per pound for them. It's certainly not illegal but the best place to find them where you are not going to upset anyone is old abandoned buildings, they love to grow on disturbed land and they certainly won't have been sprayed there or affected by traffic fumes I cursed the building of the new Tesco as they removed all the plants that used to pay for my childrens outings in the summer.