****Elderflower Lemonade****

****Elderflower Lemonade****






Our elder trees are probably my favourite trees.  We harvest the flowers in the Springtime and berries in the Autumn.





The flowers have just started to bloom here in France.  Unfortunately it is very wet at the moment, which is not the ideal situation to pick the blooms, but we just can't wait, so we have made a start.  (Last year we made 210 litres of elderflower champagne!!)




This is what you need.........
To make 1 gallon of elderflower champagne


3 heads of elderflowers
1 lemon
1lb 8oz of sugar
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
1 gallon (4.5 litres) of water


Remove the flowers from the stem (you only need the white flowers, no green bits) and put them in a clean bucket.






Add the grated rind and juice of one lemon.


Add the sugar and white wine vinegar.


Add the water.




Cover and leave for 24hours.


Strain into bottles and leave for two weeks before drinking (it should be clear and sparkling by then).


My original recipe says that this drink must be drunk within a few weeks, but we have kept ours in a cool dry place (the cellar) for many months and it is still delicious and very fizzy!



This recipe originally came from a book called Country Wines to Make, Drink and Cook With 
by Mollie Harris and Helen Peacocke.




I am linking this post to The Prairie Homestead Barnhop and Frugally Sustainable

Comments

  1. The things I learn on the internet! Thanks for the post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That sounds lovely ~ can you describe what it tastes like?

    And thanks for sharing on Happy lil ❤'s are baking!!

    ReplyDelete

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