I love foraging and it is so nice to do this with kids. So now that the elderflower season has started you can find us near an elderflower bush picking the flowers. Elderflower has a very fragrant smell and I like making jam and syrup with them.
Tip: Don’t go and pick elderflower next to a busy road or train track!
You will need :
- 25 heads of elderflower
- 3 lemons
- sugar (depending on the amount of liquid you end up with).
Carefully remove any insects from the elderflowers by shaking them gently.
Place the flower heads in a large bowl together with the lemon slices, cover it with water and leave for 24 hours to infuse.
Strain the liquid through a muslin , I leave it for a while and then squeeze out all of the juices.
For 1 liter of liquid you need 1 kg of sugar.
Mix the sugar with the liquid in a cooking pot and heat gently so the sugar can dissolve, let it boil for a few minutes.
Pour the hot syrup into sterilized bottles or jars and seal.
You can enjoy your elderflower syrup in different ways. I think ‘Hugo’ is one of the most popular ones, a splash of elderflower syrup in cremant. My kids love it as a lemonade with sparkling water. A splash or two in fruit salads for a festive touch. It is lovely in Greek yogurt and for something different make some ice lollies with them (dilute 1/3 elderflower syrup in 2/3 of water)
Enjoy!
Credits: Photo by Elly Verduyckt, Illustration by Linda Dieschbourg.