Collected some elderflowers from some very kind neighbours and found this recipe http://www.allotment.org.uk/recipe/27/recipe-for-elderflower-champagne/. I made half the amount for fairly obvious reasons!! Bottled it today in plastic bottles and also trying a demi john with airlock as suggested on the chat on the website- will see how it goes.
Ingredients
- 50 elderflower heads - (if you pick flowers in the morning they should smell slightly of bananas, if picked in the afternoon/evening there will be an aroma of cats piddle! Both work, but bananas are best )
- 6 lb bags of caster sugar
- 11 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
- 50 pints of cold water
- 11 large lemons zested & juced
Method
Pick the elderflowers when fully out and shake to remove insects.
Place the flowers in a cloth bag,
Seal it and put it into the water with the sugar, vinegar, juice and zest from the lemons. (use plastic buckets)
Mix well, cover and stand for 72 hours.
Remove bag of flowers & strain into bottles (use screw top bottles) and leave in cool larder for 2 weeks, releasing the fizz every couple of days or the bottles will burst.
Serve very chilled.
You can at least drink this in copious amounts as it's not alcoholic!
ReplyDeleteI am having a go at this as it sounds nice.
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