Capture the taste of summer with a wild harvest of elderflowers – make your own fragrant cordial or try an exciting new recipe with foraging expert Liz Knight
Right now, parks, lanes, hedgerows and gardens all over the UK are full of elderflowers, perfuming the late spring air with their distinctive scent.
Elder trees (Sambucus nigra) are clever things. Just as the weather warms up, they start to bloom, which is impeccably timed, as there aren’t many things more thirst-quenching and temperature-soothing than wise old elders.
The elder tree may be best known for its blooms made into elderflower cordial, but it’s also a remarkable medicinal tree. The antioxidant-packed flowers have anti-inflammatory, antiviral and cooling properties – a herbal ally for everything from reducing fevers to calming summer colds. Elderflowers are also widely used in skin treatments, helping to improve the complexion and protect the skin from sun damage. The flowers are also used to soothe hayfever-induced irritated, itchy eyes. There’s a lot more going on in your bottle of cordial than you first thought.
Elder’s usefulness doesn’t end there; after the flowers finish their display, dark purple berries follow in late summer, and these too are well worth a gather. The berries are rich in immune-boosting anthocyanins and antivirals, but be sure to cook them before use to remove their mild toxicity. A bottle of elderberry syrup is an essential part of every home herbalist’s winter defence against bugs and viruses. Even the inedible, pungent-smelling leaves can be infused into ointments to soothe aches and sprains.
HOW TO MAKE ELDERFLOWER CORDIAL
Homemade elderflower cordial is a million miles from anything you can buy in the shops. If poured hot into sterilised bottles and pasteurised, it should keep until the following harvest, but freezing the cordial in plastic containers until needed keeps the flavour at its peak.
MAKES 2 LITRES
• 1.5 litres boiled water
• 1 kg sugar
• 25 elderflower heads (pulled from their stems)
• Pared zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
• 200ml fresh lemon juice (you should get this
from around 5 unwaxed lemons)
1. Heat the water in a saucepan, pour in the sugar and bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar has fully dissolved. Take the pan off the heat and allow to cool until the syrup is warm.
2. Stir in the elderflowers, lemon zest and half of the lemon juice.
