Foraging Elderflower

Have you ever picked elderflower? Elderflower is not well-known as a flavor in the US, but it is a nice, light floral flavor that is sometimes used in ice cream, sparkling waters, and even in cakes. We frequently make elderberry syrup and have heard that you can use the flowers as well, but have never experimented with the flowers - that is, until now. This year, we finally picked some of the flowers to try.

First, I couldn't believe how lovely they smell! These tiny, delicate flowers have the most beautiful, sweet fragrance. No wonder elderflower is a popular flavor in Europe! The flavor is as lovely and light as the fragrance.

We only have one bush close to the house so we didn't have a lot of flowers with which to experiment. After deliberating, we opted to make elderflower syrup. We searched online for syrup recipes. Most called for citric acid (as a preservative), several called for lemon (which we didn't have), and nearly all of them called for more flowers than we had available. Thus, we decided to wing it. We made a small batch with just water, sugar, and elderflower. We thought that as long as we use up the syrup within a few days, there will be no need for a preservative.

First, let me say that removing the blossoms is almost as time consuming as removing the berries. Elderberry branches, stems, and seeds are toxic, so whether using the flowers or berries, you should remove as many of the stems as possible.

Elderflowers

After pulling off the flowers, we had about one cup of blossoms. We ended up making a simple syrup in a ratio of 1 1/4 cups of sugar to 2 cups of water. Once the sugar dissolved and the syrup was boiling, I poured it over the elderflowers. I let it cool on the counter, then put it in the refrigerator overnight. Late the next day, I strained off the flowers, gently pressing them to get the syrup out. Some say that you should let the flowers sit in the syrup for 48 hours. We had a high enough ratio of flowers to syrup that it was quite flavorful after one day. We tasted the syrup and it is delightful! We can't wait to use it.

Ways to use elderflower syrup:

1) Add to sparkling water for a bubbly elderflower drink.

2) Use in cocktails.

3) Add to lemonade for a floral flavored lemonade.

4) Add a bit to your cake frosting to impart a floral flavor.

5) Use in your homemade ice cream mix for an elderflower ice cream.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Garden Update - Late Spring 2025

Outdoor Garden We set up the last garden bed that we didn't get to last summer. We purchased our third two-pack of the 6x3 beds last year and only set one of them up. I prepped the bed with cardboard and threw in some limbs, leaves, and grass clippings. I then topped it off with soil. We also did a bit of planting. Our larger bed has mint and tarragon on one side. They are healthy plants and come back every year, so I like to leave them alone. We planted a few flower seeds in the bare spots on this side. We planted dry beans on the other side using beans I had saved from a previous garden. The seeds are a couple of years old, so if they do not come up within a reasonable time, I will re-plant with newer seed. We also planted two of the shorter beds. This gives us four beds that are ready to go for the season: one of strawberries, two we just planted, and one with tarragon and mint on one side and the beans we just planted on the other. We will plant the remaining beds when the weat...
Read more

DIY Tooth Powder

Image
We have been trying different options for better oral health. We already make a mouthwash that we like really well, so it was time to try making something else. We chose to make our own tooth powder. While most recipes claim these ingredients make a "re-mineralizing" tooth powder, we found that whether or not it re-mineralizes, this recipe gets your teeth sparkling clean. After reading through several recipe options, we came up with our own based on the ingredients we had on hand. Here is the recipe we created: Note: This blog post contains affiliate links. Purchasing through these links helps support our website and blog at no cost to you.  Thank you for your support. Tooth Powder Recipe Ingredients 1/4 c. bentonite clay 3 T calcium carbonate 1 1/2 T baking soda 1 t. cloves 1 t. cinnamon 1 t. sea salt 1 T dried mint leaves, ground to a powder 5 drops peppermint oil (or more, to taste) Directions Mix all ingredients together. Store in a glass jar with a lid.  To use: Scoop a...
Read more

Indoor Garden Update

Image
Our indoor garden has been in for one month now and we are so pleased with the progress! If you would like to read about our experience in setting up our indoor garden, you find the information on our blog post " Starting an Indoor Garden ." Our AeroGarden one month after planting Below is a progress breakdown by pod: Lettuce/Mixed Greens (1st pod)   The first pod of mixed lettuce greens we planted is doing fabulous . I can't tell if two of the same kind of seeds sprouted or if it is just one large plant. We have harvested several leaves already. The plant continues to grow well so we should get a good harvest from this pod. Lettuce/Mixed Greens (2nd pod)   The greens didn't come up at first in the second pod, so I added a couple more seeds and moved some of the sponge over the seeds since it hadn't really closed over them. I had no idea if it would help, I was just experimenting. They eventually sprouted and two plants are growing. Due to the delay in sprouting, ...
Read more