Fox and Hedgehog by Jane McGinley

Sunday 30 June 2013

Elderflower Cordial

 

We are lucky enough to have an elder tree in the Hastings garden - just outside the kitchen window - and today I made my first ever Elderflower cordial!

June is the best time to gather Elderflowers. Pick them early on a warm, dry morning when the flowers are heady with scent but be sure to leave some flowers for elderberry picking later in the year - I've got a mind to make elderberry liqueur!

This recipe is by Pam the Jam and can be found in The River Cottage Handbook No.2.

You will need:

About 25 elderflower heads
1 orange & 3 lemons, zest and juice
1kg sugar
1.5 litres water  

And here's how:

Inspect the elderflower heads carefully and remove any insects; there were lots of little green spiders in mine! Place the flower heads in a large bowl together with the orange and lemon zest. Bring 1.5 litres of water to the boil and pour over the elderflowers and citrus zest. Cover and leave overnight to infuse.


Strain the liquid through a piece of muslin and pour into a saucepan. Add the orange and lemon juice and sugar. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar, then bring to a simmer and cook for a couple of minutes.

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