ELDER AND ELDERFLOWERS, TIPS AND IDEAS
Elderberry (Sambucus nigra), also called elder, is a species complex of flowering plants in the family Adoxaceae. It grows in a variety of conditions including both wet and dry fertile soils, primarily in sunny locations and it’s native to most Europe. Elderberry is important as a garden shrub, as a forest plant, and for it berries, which provide food for wildlife. The berries may be mixed with grapes for jelly or combined with apples as a pie filling. Not only berries can be used but also flowers. Flowers can be turned into a flavoring syrup.
The volunteers at La Buona Terra farm decided to try to make the syrup out of this beautiful flower, and share their recipe with you!
The Elderflower syrup
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 l of water
- 20 big elderflower heads
- 500 gr of organic lemon
- 2,5 kg sugar
Instructions:
- Remove any insects from the elderflower blossoms. Do not wash them, as they will lose a lot of flavor.
- Bring the water to boil in a pot, turn it off and add the flower heads.
- Cover the pot and let it rest for al least 24 hours.
- Remove the flower heads by straining the syrup through a fine-meshed sieve.
- Add the sugar and thin lemon slices.
- Let it rest for another day.
- Use a funnel for the syrup and a ladle to fill sterilised bottles.