A new 'tougher' thread... and so it continues

GreyQueen

EstherH wrote: »

I have googled elderflower and looked at the pictures but not sure that I have seen any nearby. We have a large bush in our garden with white flowers coming out now which are all along the tops of the branches. There are loads of these type bushes everywhere and I thought at first that it may be what you are all talking about but I don't think so as the flowers are flatter from the looks of them. I have another unidentified tree in the garden which gets a few white flowers on it. This puts runners out and we have branches growing underground and sprouting up. Any ideas?

Esther x

Hi EstherH, I'd love to so some detective work on this with my Collins Guide to British Trees but there are a fair few native trees which could match the descripition, never mind garden plants. Is it possible to stick up a piccie?

Lots of native shrubby trees loosely match the description. The elders are in flower at the moment and the hawthorns are coming to the end of their flowering cycle, at least in southern England. Hawthorn is also known as "may" and the old country phrase "Ne'er cast the clout til may is out" refers to the flowers not the month of May; it typically flowers from mid-May at least in southern England. The blossoms smell a bit sickly-sweet, like the odour of decaying flesh, and it's considered ill-omened to bring it indoors.

Elderflowers often reek a bit like urine, although nectar-eating insects adore them. As others have said, there are a fair few plants which look like cow parsley, all about 3-4 foot tall with while lacy umbrella-like blossoms. You can eat the root of one of them, the others are poisonous, but you have to be a bit of a botany nerd to tell them apart. If you see something of the same type but about 6 feet tall, it's Giant Hogweed. Best to leave it well alone as the sap, if on your skin, can cause a bad reaction in sunlight (blistering).

As kids, in winter, we'd take the dead hogweeds, all dry, and hurl them about like spears. They have a carrot-like root which makes a good spear-tip. Children; little savages, eh?

:eek: PAH, oh my goodness, what a day, I really hope you are much recovered now. Did you say you'd poisoned yourself?!:eek:

I've had a better night's sleep; although I still feel like I have a marble in my ear, it's no longer a red-hot one. Am waiting for my meds to metabolise then am going to the lottie. Woke to clear blue skies and strong sunlight so am feeling shattered but optimistic. And like murdering some slugs and snails. All this wet weather has been particularly good for them and bad for us gardeners. I have a sharp trowel, though, and I may go foraging in the strawberry bed to make a pre-emptive strike.

:mad: They really like strawberries, the bu88ers.

Hope everyone has a good Sunday, GQ x

mardatha

Just feeling so sorry for all these people who are flooded, what a nightmare that must be

[Deleted User]

Morning all, Elderflowers only grow on a woody bush, which can grow quite tall. The easiest way to identify elder is by its smell. You can buy an elderflower herb tea which has a very distinctive perfume. If it doesn't sound bizarre next time you are in a supermarket -sniff the packet if they have one. It is a smell so distinctive you will never mistake it for anything else. Elder doesn't grow in the same way as anything looking like cow parsley. It is most definately a woody shrubby bush. Take care foraging, it can be quite dangerous to get it wrong. If you are lucky enough to have a foragers guide, take it with you and make sure you know just what your are picking. Stay safe! Cheers Lyn x.

fuddle

I know Mar it's hit me hard seeing the images on the TV. Many, many people just like us. What a scary time for them and what a rough time ahead they're going to have to get back on their feet. So worrying.

I looked and looked online at the flowers of my elderflower and could have sworn they were the same as the ones I had. A mistake that I am so pleased I made because as a beginner, I needed to feel a fool in order to pull up my socks and make sure I take care out there. No more foraging until I get the book from the library and even then I'm so unsure I doubt i'll try until I know everything about what the plant should be and the lookalikes.

Good idea to sniff elderberry tea.

I've a pom pom to make for a baby hat I'm making for my nephew to be born in the Autumn. I had already made it but sis said it was too small. I'm also a bit cross that I wanted to make a baby blanket as a present. I stupidly told her and now she's laying down the law as to what she would like. I'm ignoring her and doing what I would like with the wool I can afford. Jeepers, people sometime. Anyway...

All this crocheting, forgaing, approved food, store cupboards, meal plans means that I have oodles of washing and still the uniforms to wash for tomorrow. Only I. Only I. Been off a week!

Off to make porridge for my sproglets. I'm going to try powdered milk see if they say anything/notice.

[Deleted User]

Grief FUDDLE - we'll get elderflowers listed as a banned substance if we're all seen sniffing them in the supermarket, better go in disguise, just in case!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - at least you can all blame me for the suggestion in the first place He he he he he he!!!!!! Have a good day pet - Cheers Lyn and the hairy one XXX.

VJsmum

Morning all

Well, blue skies and sunshine is a sight for sore eyes - now the holidays are over!:mad:

Still mustn't grumble - though, why mustn't we?

Some of my mega list got done - tho the ironing is still staring at me. But today is new table day so I have to sort that out first. I also want to get out in my little strip of front garden that always looks a mess and dig out the weeds and brambles, then i am putting down some weed control mat round the few shrubs and put some stone chippings on top. I am hoping that will give us more "kerb appeal" as Phil and Kirsty call it (not that we're selling - I couldn't face packing this lot up). I really must earth up my spuds at the back too. and do a bit of weeding out there. Might feed the tomatoes and peppers too - they have been too wet all week for me to introduce more.

And then there's the kitchen to tidy and the conservatory to clean - ready for its new table.

Hmm seems like another long list - I'd better start with coffee.

[Deleted User]

Just a thought, you can make fruit syrups with most berry fruits and things like damsons and plums which are much easier to get than wildies. Basic recipe is a quarter of a pint of water to each 3 lbs of fruit and 6 oz of sugar to each pint of juice you get from the fruit once it is cooked. Easy to do as you stew the fruit with the water until the juice runs freely. Strain through a jelly bag or pillowcase or cheesecloth. Measure the juice and add the 6 oz of sugar for each pint. Put all into a heavy pan and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Simmer for 15 minutes and leave to cool before bottling in sterile bottles. Like the elderflower cordial this will only keep for about a month, so keep it in the fridge - but you only need to make a small amount at a time so you can ring the changes with different fruit flavours as things come into season. I like to use my sodastream to make fizzy water and dilute the syrups with that. You can also use the syrup on ice cream or over sponge puds, it's yummy. Cheers Lyn x.

Byatt

Morning guys, raining here again, was lovely yesterday weather wise.

Lizzy, thanks for the encouragement.

All this talk of elderflowers will have me scouring the hedgerows around here. I thought someone said they smell like jasmine, but is that something else?

PAH, you need to have a good sniff of the flowers and report back! I hope you are feeling better today.

Fuddle, waking up like that could be part of the depression, maybe mention to the Dr when you next go, if you haven't already.

lizzyb1812

Morning all - feel like death warmed up here thanks to a row next door at quarter to four this morning that woke me up and troubled me enough to stop me getting any decent sleep afterwards. Very loud and sounded like it got violent - will have to find a discreet way of ascertaining if the young girl involved is OK. Has brought back a lot of bad memories - not my own experience but a relative's

Fuddle - don't think badly of your winter warmer - think of the lift the bright colours will give you in winter and teach your kids that Coat of Many Colours song that Jason Donavan sang. I'm going to make a caftan for this winter - my mum made me a gorgeous bottle green stretch velvet one years ago (long gone now) which I used to wear over everything else when I was a student and couldn't afford to put the gas fire on. I just loved it.

The sun is shining so I'm going out for an extended trip/walk with pup to clear my mind. Love to all.

Evie74_2

Morning everyone and thanks for the warm welcome yesterday :j

DH has taken big DD fishing with him today so it's just me and little DD at home for the day. I'm planning to get some housework done this morning and then we'll head out for a countryside walk this afternoon if it stays fine. All this talk of elderflowers has reminded me that I wanted to try and make some cordial this year so hopefully we'll find some on our travels. I've never made it before so it will be an interesting experiment!

We went to the fete yesterday in my parents' village, which was good clean fun, made all the better by my winning a bottle of Pimms in the tombola - not a bad return on my £1 outlay! :money: I managed to resist the plant stalls too.

Hope everyone else has a lovely day.

Evie xx