Elderflower Adventures – Exploring Different Ways to Eat and Drink this Awesome Flower

Today we’ll be exploring some delicious ways to use elder flowers, from elderflower fritters, to elderflower cordial, as well as making use of its beneficial qualities through making tea.

Elderflowers (Sambucus spp.) are the delicate, creamy-white flowers that bloom on elder trees and bushes in the spring and early summer. They have a long history of use in traditional medicine and can be used in many ways, some of which we’ll cover today.

They grow wild in many places around the world, so even if you don’t grow these in your garden, you may be able to forage for elderberries in your area. Elder plants also produce berries in the Summer which can be used as food and medicine – check out the video I made about the berries and the bushes here – https://youtu.be/wrj1XWnURXc

RECIPES:
Elderflower fritters:
10-15 Bunches of elderflowers
70g flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 heaped tsp icing sugar
1 pinch of salt
2/3 cup sparkling or soda water
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract (optional)
(add more flour or more water to adjust to desired thickness of batter)
Vegetable oil – (I used canola)
Mix dry ingredients together, add soda water and mix. Heat oil in a pot, once oil is hot drip a little batter mixture in, and if it fizzes well then it should be hot enough.
Dip elderflower cluster into batter then into hot oil, until golden (mine took around 20-30 seconds). Drain fritter on paper towel to get rid of excess oil.
Sprinkle on some icing sugar and/or honey and serve as dessert with stewed fruit or ice-cream. Please ensure everyone knows to avoid eating all green parts of the stem – very important!

Elderflower cordial:
20 Bunches of elderflowers
2 litres of water
3 tablespoons citric acid
1 lemon (juice and zest)
850g sugar
Strip elder flowers off the green stems into a large pot. Add water, citric acid, lemon juice and zest to the pot. Heat up, stir occassionally until it starts to boil. Take off heat, cover and leave overnight. Next day, strain through muslin cloth, put liquid back into pot and add sugar. Heat back up to boil for a few minutes, stirring to dissolve all the sugar. Pour hot liquid into sterilized and preheated glass bottles that have been in oven for 10 minutes at around 120c. Place lids on and leave to cool. Should store for several months.
To use, dilute with sparkling water to taste, you should only need a little cordial for each drink. Otherwise use in any other drinks you like 😉

Info on toxicity:
Elder plants have cyanide producing compounds in some parts of the plant, making them toxic if consumed – this includes the leaves, roots, seeds, unripe fruit, stems and bark. It’s important to avoid eating any of these parts, and also note that ripe berries should be cooked before being eaten. Please ensure you know confidently how to work with this plant before consuming it, and also note there are some differences depending on the species of Elder.
I have a bunch more information about this plant here https://youtu.be/wrj1XWnURXc. It’s definitely worth learning about as it’s a plant that has many incredible medicinal benefits to offer.
It’s always recommended do your own thorough research or consult with a healthcare professional before consuming foods that you’re unfamiliar with 🙂

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0:00 Intro
0:37 Harvesting elderflowers
1:21 Elder flower fritters
3:30 Elderflower cordial
6:25 Elderflower tea
6:50 Learn about elderberries too

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