Foraging time | Elderflower cordial
Fruity, fragrant and refreshing, elderflower cordial is one of my springtime/summer favourites and turns out it’s dead easy to make. I’ve never made this before, and still haven’t, because Jess made this batch! The taste is nostalgic, reminding me of Summers as a kid, frolicking through the meadows, chasing butterflies, without a care in the world :)
Recipe
A great recipe originally from the BBC enhanced by Jess below. This makes approximately one crap-tonne of cordial…
Ingredients
2 ½kg white sugar , either granulated or caster
2 unwaxed lemons
1 unwaxed orange
20 fresh elderflower heads, stalks trimmed
85g citric acid (from the chemist or fairly cheap from amazon)
Method
Put the sugar and 1.5 litres/2¾ pints water into the largest saucepan you have. Gently heat, without boiling, until the sugar has dissolved. Give it a stir every now and again. Pare the zest from the orange and lemons using a potato peeler, then slice them into rounds.
Once the sugar has dissolved, bring the pan of syrup to the boil, then turn off the heat. Fill a washing up bowl with cold water. Give the flowers a gentle swish around to loosen any dirt or bugs. Lift flowers out, gently shake and transfer to the syrup along with the orange/lemons, zest and citric acid, then stir well. Cover the pan and leave to infuse for 24 hrs (NB: we did 48h for extra elderflower PUNCH).
Line a colander with a clean tea towel (or muslin), then sit it over a large bowl or pan. Ladle in the syrup – let it drip slowly through. Discard the bits left in the towel/muslin. Use a funnel and a ladle to fill sterilised bottles (run glass bottles through the dishwasher, or wash well with soapy water. Rinse, then leave to dry in a low oven). The cordial is ready to drink straight away and will keep in the fridge for up to 6 weeks. Or freeze it in plastic containers or ice cube trays and defrost as needed.
