Yay! It's elderflower season again! I'm here to show you how to make your own elderflower cordial at home!
How to recognise elderflower?
Elderflower is a big bushy tree, up to several metres tall and wide. It grows basically everywhere and is common in gardens and parks here in the UK. The tree has got dark green flat leaves and beautiful palm-sized white blossoms. You should be able to tell it by its typical lovely smell.
Found your tree? You'll need about 10 or 20 heads (medium-sized), depending on how much squash you are planning to produce.
This elderflower cordial recipe is from my mum, who has mastered it during the years. She always makes it from 20 pieces, with 2 litres of water, which fills up about 4-5 bottles (lasting for about a year). I've decided to make half of it, because we wouldn't be able to consume it all.
What are the key ingredients in this elderflower cordial recipe?
So, getting the blossoms is essential for this recipe, but you'll need a couple more ingredients:
- 10 blossoms of elderflower, clean them (under light shower, so all little bugs and dirt come off)
- 1 unwaxed organic lemon, properly washed and sliced
- 1 litre of water
- citric acid (20g)
- 1-2 kg sugar (can be either brown or white)
- 2 empty glass bottles with caps (preferably empty alcohol bottles, no need to desinfect those; otherwise wash the bottles in advance, they need to be clean and completely dry before being used again)
Where to get citric acid?
Citric acid is a common household item. It is often used for preserving food or cleaning.
Citric acid (powder) is available in local pharmacies and drug stores (ask for it at the counter), or look out for it in an international aisle in the supermarket (Polish and Eastern-European shops usually have it).
How to store homemade elderflower cordial?
This homemade elderflower cordial can be kept unopened in your kitchen cupboard for up to 6 months (preferably in a cool place away from direct sunlight).
After opening, store it in the fridge and consume within 3 months.
Elderflower cordial can also be stored frozen. Pour it into ice cube trays, and leave to set in the freezer for 10 hours. Take it out of the freezer, push it out of the molds and move the cordial cubes into a freezer bag. Seal and put back in the freezer right away, prevent any further thawing. Keep frozen for up to 6 months.
Serve 1-2 cubes per drink straight from the freezer. Mix with (mineral) water or soda and enjoy!
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Homemade elderflower cordial
Equipment
- 2-3 empty glass alcohol bottles with caps on (for the final product)
Ingredients
- 10 blossoms of elderflower washed
- 1 unwaxed organic lemon washed and sliced
- 1 l water
- 20 g citric acid
- 1-2 kg sugar can be either brown or white
Instructions
- Boil 1l of water in a large stockpot. Let it completely cool down (appx 1 hour).
- Add citric acid (20g), elderflowers and lemon, gently push it down to make sure everything is soaked in the pre-boiled water.
- Cover the pot with this mixture with a cloth (tea towel).
- Let it brew for 24hrs.
- After 24hrs, drain the brew through a thin/delicate sieve or linen tea towel, and make sure there are no bugs, flowers nor dirt in the liquid left. The liquid should now have light yellow color (it will be darker if using brown sugar).
- Bring the elderflower brew to boil, and the sugar and let it bubble through for 2 minutes, then turn the hob off.
- Fill the hot brew to the ready bottles (using a tunnel). Cap them right away. Congrats, you just made your own syrup!
Nutritional Information (Estimate Only)
Top tips: This homemade elderflower squash can last for up to 6 months, as long as the flowers were clean and there was no dirt nor bugs in the soak or the bottles.
Mix the syrup with water, add some ice and enjoy!
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