Whether for lemonade or a refreshing Hugo: with elderflower syrup you can bring the taste of summer into your glass. You can make the sweet aroma dispenser yourself very easily and with little effort.
Do you have to boil down elderflower syrup?
It is not necessary to boil down elderflower syrup as the high sugar content provides sufficient preservation. Filled hot into sterilized bottles and stored in the dark, the syrup will keep for at least a year without additional canning.
Collecting elderflowers
The elderberry blooms between the beginning of June and the end of July, depending on the region. If you would like to harvest the cones, this should be done on a dry day. Only pick pure white flowers and remove all leaves, as these can cause gastrointestinal problems.
Always collect in the garden or in the forest, away from busy roads.
Elderflower syrup recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 liter tap water
- 750 g sugar
- 30 g citric acid
- 1 organic lemon or lime
- 20 elderflower panicles
Preparation
Do not clean the elderflowers with water, as this will affect the taste. Simply read insects and carefully shake out the umbels.
- Bring sugar and tap water to the boil in a pot.
- Add citric acid, let cool. This is important because the boiling sugar and water mixture will burn the flowers. This means they lose a lot of their typical aroma.
- Wash the lemon and cut it into thin slices.
- Place the elderflowers and lemon slices in a large bowl and pour the syrup over them.
- Cover airtight and let stand for at least 24 hours.
- Pour everything through a straining cloth. The elderflowers and lemons remain.
- Sterilize bottles in boiling water for 10 minutes.
- Boil the elderflower syrup again in a pot.
- Pour hot into bottles and close immediately.
Cooking elderflower syrup
Due to the high sugar content, additional canning of the syrup is not necessary. If you have worked cleanly, the hot syrup filled into sterilized bottles will keep for at least a year in a dark, not too warm place.
Tip
Dry some elderflowers for a gentle tea for coughs and colds. To do this, place the cleaned cones on a rack in an airy place.
