Elderflower Champagne anyone?

[Jardiniere]

I've made my cordial this year - the trees here are almost finished.
I think the flowers smell of savlon.

[Alison]

I think the flowers smell of savlon.

Funny how they smell different to different people, I don't think they smell anything like that, far more delicate and floral and much nicer. Funnily enough we've realised this year that next door have one in their garden which they must have hacked back other years, this year they flowers are draped over our fence, just right for picking. Will probably cut it back after we've had the flowers though as it's shading the greenhouse it's got so big.

[VirginVegGrower]

I am definitely getting some on the go again this year. made sixty bottles of the stuff last year. I love it and so does my mother...hic, she really should know better at her age.

[VirginVegGrower]

Got a batch on today. Pick flowers when creamy and NOT WHITE, as that means they are at their best/most yeasty.
My favourite recipe is this one:-

Pick a dozen full elderflower heads ideally on a sunny day when they are most fragrant.
Half fill a clean bucket with 2 gallons of cold water. Into that dissolve 2lbs (1kg) of white sugar. Shake any debris and insects clear from the elderflower heads and immerse in the water.
Cut two lemons in half squeeze juice into water and throw in the squeezed halves.
add 4 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
stir gently with a long handled spoon and cover with a clean tea towel or lid if using a brewing bucket. Leave for 24 hours, stirring occasionally
After 24 hours, sterilise plastic carbonated drinks bottles – 10 x 1 litre lemonade/pop bottles are ideal – and strain jugfuls of the liquor through a sieve or muslin cloth into the bottles and screw the plastic tops on firmly.

Leave for a week and the naturally occurring yeast on the elderflower heads begins to ferment with the sugar creating a very weak alcohol content but lots of carbon dioxide.

[Glutton4...]

Ooooooh, I'm liking the sound of that, VVG. I really can't be arrised with getting all the equipment for proper brewing, so I usually just make cordial. Trouble is, I'm trying to stay off the carbs, so anything sugar based should really be off the menu. We have elder in flower all round the garden at the moment, so I'm tempted to do something with it. Assuming I can get Mr.G up the ladder...

Regarding the smell; I only pick the sweet-smelling flower heads - get them indoors, and Mr.G says they smell of cat pee. So, I reckon we're all different. They do, however, smell better with the sun on them!

[VirginVegGrower]

Ooooooh, I'm liking the sound of that, VVG. I really can't be arrised with getting all the equipment for proper brewing, so I usually just make cordial. Trouble is, I'm trying to stay off the carbs, so anything sugar based should really be off the menu. We have elder in flower all round the garden at the moment, so I'm tempted to do something with it. Assuming I can get Mr.G up the ladder...

Regarding the smell; I only pick the sweet-smelling flower heads - get them indoors, and Mr.G says they smell of cat pee. So, I reckon we're all different. They do, however, smell better with the sun on them!

This is a dead easy one to do and never failed me yet. Go girl

[chris]

Sooooooooooo, I've been doing a bit of reading - I've made it using any heads I find but apparently there's only a few species of elder that are suitable?

Personally, I think that's a bit rubbish as I've not experienced any bitter taste / taste of cat wee, and I've used flowers from numbers shurbs around me in the past.

Anyway, went for a walk down said taff trail that we mentioned before on here. Nice walk, but after 30 mins, I turned back - wasn't much there, bar LOADS of knotweed and some quite dramatic foxgloves Looks like there is going to be a heck of a lot of blackberries along there this year though.

I found another tree on my allotment site, spotted it from a distance. Was quite pleased - so went over to pick, only to realise that the heads low down were already finished, and the fruit was forming - and the flower heads were well out of reach.

I need to make some portable tool that I can assemble when out and about to cut the heads off up high!

[Nicos]

OH is racking our first batch as I type.
How long before it's drinkable????

I'm off to get some lemons this afternoon so we can get in another batch before it's too late. Our tree still has a few blossoms to come out so we should just about have enough to pick in the morning.

The house smells wonderful at the moment!

[vikkib]

Got a batch on today. Pick flowers when creamy and NOT WHITE, as that means they are at their best/most yeasty.
My favourite recipe is this one:-

Pick a dozen full elderflower heads ideally on a sunny day when they are most fragrant.
Half fill a clean bucket with 2 gallons of cold water. Into that dissolve 2lbs (1kg) of white sugar. Shake any debris and insects clear from the elderflower heads and immerse in the water.
Cut two lemons in half squeeze juice into water and throw in the squeezed halves.
add 4 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
stir gently with a long handled spoon and cover with a clean tea towel or lid if using a brewing bucket. Leave for 24 hours, stirring occasionally
After 24 hours, sterilise plastic carbonated drinks bottles – 10 x 1 litre lemonade/pop bottles are ideal – and strain jugfuls of the liquor through a sieve or muslin cloth into the bottles and screw the plastic tops on firmly.

Leave for a week and the naturally occurring yeast on the elderflower heads begins to ferment with the sugar creating a very weak alcohol content but lots of carbon dioxide.

I picked some elderflowers on the way home today and I'm pretty much all set for making some yummy bubbly except that I've just realised I don't have any white wine vinegar left!

I've got some tartaric acid from my local home brew shop ready for a recipe I have for making cordial and was wondering if I could use that instead?

If yes, does anyone know what sort of quantity?

If not, I'll head back out to the shops!

[ohbeary]

Vicki, may I suggest not using vinegar, instead take 1lt white grape juice or 1 220ml bottle of white grape concentrate (wilkos) 1lt clear apple juice, 700g sugar, 1tsp yeast nutrient(homehardware), 5g Champagne yeast(EC1118 homehardware), 1tsp tartaric acid, 6 large heads of elderflower(flowers only) combine in a bucket with water to 1 gallon, cover with a towel and stir daily for 5 days, strain into a DJ and ffit airlock, ferment until it begins to clear, siphon off sediment and add 50g sugar mix to dissolve and pour into 500ml pop bottles, store cool for 6-8 weeks, chill very well before pouring in one go into a chilled jug, serve with a slice of lemon, possibly over ice?.....

[vikkib]

Vicki, may I suggest not using vinegar, instead take 1lt white grape juice or 1 220ml bottle of white grape concentrate (wilkos) 1lt clear apple juice, 700g sugar, 1tsp yeast nutrient(homehardware), 5g Champagne yeast(EC1118 homehardware), 1tsp tartaric acid, 6 large heads of elderflower(flowers only) combine in a bucket with water to 1 gallon, cover with a towel and stir daily for 5 days, strain into a DJ and ffit airlock, ferment until it begins to clear, siphon off sediment and add 50g sugar mix to dissolve and pour into 500ml pop bottles, store cool for 6-8 weeks, chill very well before pouring in one go into a chilled jug, serve with a slice of lemon, possibly over ice?.....

Unfortunately I don't have any of those things at all!

I think I'll just pop to the shop and get some wwv and pick some fresh elderflowers on my way home from work again!

[hamamelis]

I'm trying it for the first time at the moment too- it's odd, one bottle is fermenting much faster than the other, to the extent I'm having to leave the lid on slightly loose, because otherwise I'm needing to vent it every hour or so. I guess that will be the one to watch out for!

[MrsCordial]

Last time I tried elderflower fizz, about five years ago I think, it didn't do anything much, so I'm not expecting wonders this time but it's worth a whirl as there's ridiculous quantities of elderflower around us just asking to be used. I have my second batch of cordial steeping, to strain & bottle tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to making elderberry jelly later in the year, and a winter-spiced elderberry cordial, yum.

[ohbeary]

Re, 26#,27#,28#, if you can go to the shop for "wwv" you can go to another shop for the right ingredients, all you need is the right recipe, Mrs C any chance of the recipes for Elderberry Jelly and spiced cordial?

[MrsCordial]

Hello. I can't find the recipe I used last year, annoyingly, but it was along the lines of these:

Elderberry Cordial Syrup Recipe
Free From The Three: Spiced Elderberry Cordial

As with all these things tweak to taste. I often mix recipes or take them as inspiration. I like this cordial drunk with hot water, just like mulled wine. I'm not sure it tastes too nice cold.

This is the type of recipe I use for elderberry jelly:

How to make elderberry jelly | Countryside | Houses for sale, properties for sale - Country Life

In the autumn I really get into the swing of letting things mush in a pan, leaving it to drip through a muslin suspended over a bowl overnight (don't squish the bag or you'll get cloudy jelly) then boiling the juice with sugar the next day. I have never in my life bothered with a jam thermometer, but I do pay attention to pectin requirements. This could be why yesterday I ended up using failed damson jam to make ice lollies :-O