The Magic of Elderflower: How to find and make elderflower cordial
A family tradition
My mum has always made elderflower cordial, (thanks mumsy for passing this free gift of loveliness onto me), so for me it has a nostalgic feel and taste to it. Every spring when the elderflower blossoms, I collect as much as I can find to make an industrial amount of elderflower cordial, saving the bottles in my basement and giving them away to friends as little bundles of sweet surprises.
Elderflower has a beautiful delicate flavour which the whole family can enjoy and I am now making mine without refined sugar, so it ticks that “not too much sugar for my children” box. It is super cheap to make and a lot of fun getting kids out to help with the collecting of flowers. Even some of the bigger ones have been known to come on an elderflower picking expedition! This year in Provence the trees are yet again heavy with the beautiful blossom.
The Elder Tree
The Elder Tree is also known as Black Elder, Ellhorn, Pipe tree, Bore tree, Eller and Holler. It has many associations in folklore - Anglo-Saxons believed if you fell asleep under a tree in full bloom, you would be invited into the world of the fairies and be protected from evil spirits. Anglo-Saxons also believed that if an elder was removed it would be replaced by a witch - so don’t chop any down!
How do I know I’m picking elderflower and not a weed?
A very good point! Here’s what it looks like…
The Elder Tree
Come late spring elder trees and hedgerows are filled with the sweet scent of fragrant and delicate elderflowers. Their delicate, white flowers tend to bloom from early May.
The shrub or tree grows in woodlands, hedgerows and scrub, on waste ground and railway embankments and in graveyards.
The Leaves
The Elder Tree leaves are feather shaped with five or seven leaflets. Leaflets are arranged opposite to each other with one single leaflet at the tip. The edge of each leaflet is toothed and there may be small hairs on the underside.
The Flowers
The Elderflower: Flat-topped clusters of tiny, creamy-white flowers appear in May. The flowers have a very fragrant sweet smell, the smell of summer.
Freshly picked flowers make the best cordial. The flowers quickly lose their heady scent within a few hours, so make sure you have time to make the cordial after picking.
Dry, newly opened flower heads have the best fragrance. Pick them from late morning on a dry day to make sure they are not soggy with dew, and don’t collect from roadsides in case they’ve absorbed exhaust fumes.
I’ve collected them now what do I do?
The Recipe…
Makes about 1.5 litres
30-40 elder flower heads
2 litres water
2 lemons, organic and unwaxed
1/4 cup citric acid (59 g/ 2 oz) (you can get this from amazon or a chemist, in France the supermarche. *
900 g granulated sugar – which is very sweet and not too healthy. I make with agave, maple or even stevia as a healthier alternative. **
What equipment do I need?
Big saucepan
Measuring jug
Peeler
Funnel
Glass Bottles ( I save these from glass juice bottles, old fashioned lemonade bottles – even a screw top wine bottle would do! Avoid plastic if you can, and if you do use plastic you won’t be able to put them in the dishwasher or the oven for obvs plastic melty reasons!)
Instructions
1/Remove any dirt or insects from the elder flowers. Do not wash as you don't want to wash off the pollen which will give it flavour. I just give them a little shake in my kitchen sink.
2/ Place into a large pot filled with 2 litres of water.
3/ Add your sweetener of choice and heat until just bubbling and all the sugar or sweetener has dissolved. Turn off the heat.
4/Peel the lemons and add to the pot. Juice the two lemons and add the lemon juice to the pot. Add your elderflower and mix
5/ Cover with a lid and take off the heat. Let it sit for at least 4 hours of up to 24 hours to allow the flavours to infuse.
6/ Strain the liquid through a colander lined with a muslin cloth or a nut milk bag. Squeeze the remaining liquid from the pulp for flavour intensity.
7/ Meanwhile, sterilize as many glass bottles and a funnel ***
8/Bottle up and enjoy!
*You can also make without citric acid but the cordial will need to be drunk within 2 weeks to prevent mould, never been a problem in our house!
**For agave, maple quantity I used a full bottle in my batch and taste it for sweetness.
***I put my glass jars and the funnel into a dishwasher cycle and then heat them in the oven (not the funnel melted plastic alert!!!!!) at around 100’ for about 15 minutes.
ENJOY ENJOY
I love mine with fizzy water for a refreshing afternoon tipple. It also goes rather well with some bubbly wine and absolutely delicious in a cocktail – vodka or gin, whatever floats your boat!
Sunday morning PJ shot - haven’t put my contacts in yet!!!!!
My final fun fact
Did you know the elder tree is traditionally known as nature’s medicine chest? Elderflowers can dry and tone mucous which line the nose and throat, reducing sneezing and a runny blocked nose from hayfever. I have never suffered from hayfever in my life but this year I am absolutely streaming, so I am taking full advantage of drinking tons of elderflower!!!! And guilt free as I don’t use any refined sugar! Yippee!!
So get the family out and get picking your elderflower. It is an inexpensive delicious drink that everyone will love, make it without refined sugar - even better!
I am a Health Coach specialising in helping busy mums find creative quick recipes that the family will actually eat and helping find that, oh so elusive self-care time -without the guilt. Set up a free discovery session and see where you can make gentle positive changes in your life today.
Hannah xxx
