Elderflowers are starting to open!

[Nicos]

Anyone else keeping a close eye on them?
Am looking forward to some homemade champers again this summer.

[JanieB]

I make a rather nice elderflower and rose petal wine.. It tastes a lot like a Sancerre. I hope I can get to go and pick them this year. Being incarcerated I have not idea what is blooming in the hedgerows so far this year. Not helped by the developers grubbing up the hedges against their planning permits so there are none within reasonable walking distance any more.

Didn't make anything last year, not even sloe gin for Christmas.

[ameno]

I went out and picked a load today. 85 heads. 45 to make cordial, 20 for champagne now, and 20 to freeze for champagne later in the summer.

I also have a demijohn of elderflower wine (proper wine, not champagne) I made this time last year which needs bottling. Should be ready to drink by now.

[Nicos]

Well done! -sounds exciting!
I'd never thought about freezing them-do you just take the petals off the stalks?

my pink elderflowers are coming on , so nearly ready for taking.

[Containergardener]

Mine are nowhere near flowering yet.
Fancy trying to make some champagne, is it easy ?

[ameno]

Mine are nowhere near flowering yet.
Fancy trying to make some champagne, is it easy ?

Pretty easy, year.
Apart from the flowers, you just need water, sugar, and lemon juice (and ideally wine yeast. Although the flowers come with wild yeasts in theory, I find them none too reliable), along with a large lidded food-grade tub and enough pressure-resistant bottles (I use old plastic fizzy drink bottles, washed out) to bottle it in.
In warm weather, it's ready to drink after two weeks - one week in the big tub, and a further week in the bottles.

[Nicos]

This is the recipe I use...

https://www.rivercottage.net/recipes...derflower-wine

[Containergardener]

Eeek.sounds scary

[Nicos]

^^^ oh go on...you know you want to make some!!!

[ameno]

My elderflower cordial turned out really weak, for some reason. I made it the same way as I usually do, with if anything more flowers than usual, but it barely tastes of elderflower at all. Basically just sugar with a slight tang of citric acid.
I think all the dry weather we've been having might be to blame, weakening the flavour of the elder flowers. I plan to pick a load more and re-infuse the cordial. I've also dumped my frozen set of blossoms into the champage, to make sure that doesn't turn out weak, and will pick some more for freezing.

[Nicos]

Thanks for the heads up on that -I'll pack more flowers in. Hoping to do it in the next couple of days!

[burnie]

Ours is only now just opening, around 5 or 6 weeks behind you, just shows how our location has an effect.