Elderflower Syrup
This is a bit of a cheat's recipe: if you don't fancy the faff of making full-on cordial, if you don't have any citric acid in stock, and aren't looking for something with a super long shelf life, this is the method for you. It's also so flexible: you can amend the ingredients based on the amount of elderflower you manage to forage, or the amount of sugar you have in stock. I've adapted it from a recipe in the wonderful River Cottage Hedgerow Handbook.
It will keep for a few months in the fridge, but you may find it doesn't last that long because of its versatile uses: spoon it into sponges, drizzle it over ice cream, mix it with sparkling water for a refreshing drink, or try it in a G&T.
For notes on foraging elderflowers, see my elderflower cordial recipe page.
Ingredients
1. Prepare the elderflower heads: shake off any insects and then swish each head around in a bowl of cold water to give them a wash. Using scissors, chop the elderflowers off their stalks and directly into the jug, creating a layer approximately 2cm high. Press it down and then sprinkle 1cm of sugar over the top, to cover. Make a careful note of the amount of sugar you use.
This is a bit of a cheat's recipe: if you don't fancy the faff of making full-on cordial, if you don't have any citric acid in stock, and aren't looking for something with a super long shelf life, this is the method for you. It's also so flexible: you can amend the ingredients based on the amount of elderflower you manage to forage, or the amount of sugar you have in stock. I've adapted it from a recipe in the wonderful River Cottage Hedgerow Handbook.
It will keep for a few months in the fridge, but you may find it doesn't last that long because of its versatile uses: spoon it into sponges, drizzle it over ice cream, mix it with sparkling water for a refreshing drink, or try it in a G&T.
For notes on foraging elderflowers, see my elderflower cordial recipe page.
Ingredients
- Elderflower heads (at least 25)
- Boiled water
- Granulated sugar
- At least one lemon
- Sterilised jar
- Tall jug
- Muslin, clean tea towel or fine-mesh sieve
1. Prepare the elderflower heads: shake off any insects and then swish each head around in a bowl of cold water to give them a wash. Using scissors, chop the elderflowers off their stalks and directly into the jug, creating a layer approximately 2cm high. Press it down and then sprinkle 1cm of sugar over the top, to cover. Make a careful note of the amount of sugar you use.
2. Repeat the layers until you've exhausted all elderflowers/sugar, or when you get to the top of the jug. Cover it and leave it to infuse for 24 hours.
3. Pour the mixture into a large saucepan. You'll notice the sugar has taken on some of the juices from the flowers. Pour boiling water over the top. The amount of boiling water you use will be determined by the quantity of sugar you used: for every 100g of sugar, use 55ml of boiling water. Add slices of lemon (again, the amount will depend on how much syrup you're making but, as a general rule, aim for half a lemon per 25 heads of elderflower). Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved.
4. Strain it through muslin/a clean tea towel/a fine-mesh sieve, into a sterilised jar/container. Store in the fridge.