On a walk this afternoon I gathered a handful of elderflowers. This recipe is based on a recipe from the book Hedgerow Cookbook. The elder is a wonderful bush although it generally doesn’t look that way when you find one. It is generally a wizened looking gnarled tree with moss growing on it but it produces the most wonderful flowers and fruit – the only decision to be made is whether to pick the flowers or save them till the berries arrive later. Or you could pick a smaller amount and save some berries for later in the year, if you can get to them before the birds do. Making this squash fills the whole house with the odour of elderberry blossom and is a wonderful treat – don’t forget this is concentrated squash and yes it does contain some sugar – but this can be drunk occasionally as a treat.
Ingredients
12 elderflower heads
18g citric acid
1 unwaxed lemon
400g granulated sugar
3/4 pint water
Method
Wash the flower heads under running water and add to a bowl with lemon peel and sliced lemon.
Add the water to a pan and then the citric acid and granulated sugar.
Heat the water till the sugar and citric acid has dissolved
Pour the liquid over the flowers and lemon and leave overnight to steep.
Strain off the liquid and put it into bottles.
This will keep a few days in the fridge.
Julie
I am a state registered dietitian and advisor to The IBS Network, the UK charity for people with irritable bowel syndrome. My specialty is dietary treatment of gut disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, crohns disease, ulcerative colitis, coeliac disease, lactose & fructose malabsorption and complex food intolerances. I also have experience in dietetic treatment of people who have bariatric surgery and weight management.
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