Elderflowers North Fife

Elderflower time is just starting here in North Fife. The Elder provides fabulous fruit but the flowers are a rich ingredient for drinks and foods too.


Lotte Duncan.
Below is a cordial recipe by Lotte Duncan. BBC

Homemade elderflower cordial is so much better than anything you can buy. Serve with sparkling water for a refreshing drink or sparkling wine for a delicious cocktail.
Ingredients

30 elderflower heads
1.7litres/3 pints boiling water
900g/2lb caster sugar
50g/2oz citric acid (available from chemists)
2 unwaxed oranges, sliced
3 unwaxed lemons, sliced
Preparation method

Gently rinse over the elderflowers to remove any dirt or little creatures.
Pour the boiling water over the sugar in a very large mixing bowl Stir well and leave to cool.
Add the citric acid, the orange and lemon slices, and then the flowers.
Leave in a cool place for 24 hours, stirring occasionally.
Strain through some muslin and transfer to sterilised bottles.

Below a recipe for Rhubarb Jam with Elderflowers



Try this North Fife Rhubarb and Strawberry Jam, it's a real treat. Approx:-
2 Kilos of preserving sugar ( contains pectin),
1 Kilo of skinned and cut pieces of rhubarb,
1 Kilo of fresh strawberries halved or quartered, depending.
3 or 4 heads of Elderberry flowers, just the flowers.
Put half the sugar and all the ingredients ( not the Elderflowers )in a pan and set aside over night.
bring to a boil and simmer, add the remaining sugar, stir from time to time and test, when a sample sets on a cold plate it's ready to pour hot into sterilised jars. At This point put in the Elderflowers, stir, Enjoy.

A useful tip. Don't bother with waxed paper, just screw the lid on whilst hot and invert. A vacuum is formed on cooling, airtight and sterile.
Best to avoid aluminium cooking pots.