Elderflowers: Edible flowers of the Elderberry Plant
Natural health products: many people have heard about elderberries, often used in all-natural cough syrups and immune-boosting supplements. It’s a very purple berry that grows in the wild, and also is propagated on farms. Its health benefits and antioxidant properties make it a high-priced agricultural commodity that is prized by a small, but growing niche of consumers.
Elderflowers, on the other hand, are a lesser known part of the elderberry plant. Clusters of fragrant, creamy white minuscule flowers will give way to giant clusters of dark purple berries. Elderflowers for consumption can be picked from large bushes you’ll see growing alongside forests and open fields. They’re very common along New England roadsides, but I don’t recommend picking the flowers for consumption along well-traveled roads due to car fumes!
Look up the health benefits of elderflowers, and you’ll find that it’s chockfull of good stuff, as well as being a natural relaxant.
Elderflower Syrup Recipe
If you find some large elderflower bushes, gather a bunch of large clusters of flowers to process into elderflower syrup! Add the elderflower syrup into seltzer or wine, or use it like honey.
INGREDIENTS:
~30-40 elderflower clusters
6 cups of granulated sugar
4 cups of water
3 tablespoons of citric acid
2 lemons, cut into slices
2 quart mason jars, or 1 large jar
cheesecloth, sieve, or strainer
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Gently shake out any debris or stray bugs from the elderflower clusters (do this outside)
- In a pot on medium-high heat, dissolve sugar and citric acid with the water, and let it cool to warm or room temperature.
- Using your fingers, pull the flowers off of the bigger stems, and stuff them into two mason jars or a large container.
- Place the lemon slices into the jars, then pour the slightly warm sugar-water.
- Steep for 2 days in the refrigerator, stirring once or twice a day. Then, strain out the flowers.
- Store the strained syrup in the refrigerator. Serve with seltzer, use it like honey or maple syrup, or bottle extra syrup by boiling it and filling into smaller mason jars.
