I'm making elderflower cordial

MSE_Laura_F

The elderflower is out, so a few of us went elderflower picking yesterday evening in the sunshine.

Here is some of it, steeping with sugar water, lemon juice and rind, on its way to becoming cordial. I'll keep it in the freezer so it could also be used as sorbet. 

We'll be attempting fizzy wine with the rest, but previous years' attempts haven't worked out so well. If anyone has tips to share, please send 'em my way. 🙏

Farway

Elderflower "champagne" is excellent.

You really need proper pressure type Champagne style bottles to prevent explosions, and don't store them where a leak would ruin something, like your carpet or ceiling

Use a champagne yeast, or at least a wine one, as well, it will survive the higher alcohol

MSE_Laura_F

Thank you Farway, really useful.

Is it necessary to get rid of as much of the green stalks as possible or do they not hurt the flavour too much?

Floss

Take them off, they will make it bitter. 

flipflopflo

Oh! Crumbs that’s bought back childhood memories of walking the country lanes with my parents and picking elderflower, dandelions and other plants for homemade wine. I remember running a fork through the elderflower to remove the flowers from the stems. Also the time we spent hours collecting dandelions and when we got them home they had to be bunged on the compost as they were absolutely crawling in bugs. I was not happy and refused to go out again to get another lot. 

Ah! Those were the days 😀

Katiehound

This was the recipe I used and it made delicious cordial.
I made sure that I bottled the liquid when it was still boiling (into hot bottles) because then I got a really good seal. It kept a lot longer than the time suggested- I think even until the following year if I remember rightly.
Don't add sugar until you have squeezed all the juice out after it has infused overnight & before you boil up next day (as recipe says)

https://veganonboard.com/the-best-homemade-elderflower-cordial/#recipe

If you can get your hands on the cultivated form with pink flowers you get a great pink cordial- not strong enough flavour 'though- need the ordinary ones for the taste

Long ago I made elderberry port and it was delicious - from the berries! had to keep it for a year to mature

MSE_Laura_F

Thanks all for the tips and recipe.

@Katiehound I will keep an eye out for pink ones this year - best pink cordial must look lovely.  Must admit the jars of yellow liquid I've got at the moment aren't very appetising looking...

Katiehound

MSE_Laura_F said:

   Must admit the jars of yellow liquid I've got at the moment aren't very appetising looking...

ah, but the true test is the taste! best served with cheapest chilled fizzy water.

I keep mine in  clear wine bottles with screw top lids or smaller pop bottles- again metal lids. saying that, haven't made any... yet. You can freeze the flowers- just put stright into boiling water- DO NOT thaw! Darker liquid but still tastes fine.

You can use wine making citric acid- food grade (Wilko sells it) but you also try Dri pak - not food grade.

You can also make similar with meadowsweet flowers which come out later in the year

Katiehound

Elderflower cordial started yesterday teatime and bottled this morning: have just tasted the leftover drop: yummy.
 Luckily I had already got the citric acid in the cupboard so could start as soon as I was given the flowers.
There are enough for a second batch so I shall be starting that in a moment.
Easy & delicious- as good as any you can buy!! (That's what friends tell me)

No need to strip the flowers off the stems, just avoid the thick stems.

thriftwizard

A summer favourite of mine is rhubarb champagne (https://www.foodlovers.co.nz/recipes/rhubarb-champagne-radio-live.html) and I suspect it'd make great cordial too. Elderflowers are gorgeous but only around for a couple of weeks; rhubarb's available for a lot longer!

Katiehound

thriftwizard said:

A summer favourite of mine is rhubarb champagne (https://www.foodlovers.co.nz/recipes/rhubarb-champagne-radio-live.html) and I suspect it'd make great cordial too. Elderflowers are gorgeous but only around for a couple of weeks; rhubarb's available for a lot longer!

Ah, but elderflowers are free  and I would have to buy rhubarb.
You can freeze elderflowers in required quantities. I have done so- the resulting cordial is a little darker than usual.