Making Elderflower syrup could not be easier. There are only four ingredients, the preparation doesn’t take that long and the best thing is that it can be done on a warm evening in June, out in the garden or in the kitchen with the radio on and the back door still open. I’m making syrup instead of cordial this year because, although it doesn’t keep for as long, I’ll still get about a month from it and it’s much more versatile. I can add the syrup to ice cream, lemonade, sparkling water, ice lollies, vodka or prosecco. And I’m sure that you will think of many more wonderful goodies to add it to also.
We have a total of four large Elderflower bushes in our new garden. This is a huge relief as it means that I don’t have to play with the traffic when I try to pick some from the roadside. If you do have to go out and about to find your Elderflower please be careful and try not to gather the flowers that are very close to a road with heavy traffic as the flowers will be super dirty. If that is all you can get be sure to rinse them well before using and leave enough flower heads on a single plant for the birds in the autumn, as they eat the berries.
This is a rather typical Elderflower flower-head. Cut them from the stem when the tiny flowers have only just opened up fully. You don’t need to watch and wait for this to happen you’ll be able to tell if some of the florets are not open or if the open ones are past their prime as they tend to go slightly yellow/brown in colour.
Elderflower Syrup
Makes approx 1 litre
YOU WILL NEED
25 Elderflower flower heads
5 unwaxed lemons
1kg Caster/ Superfine sugar
1lt water
You will also need a large pan with a lid.
Shake the flower heads free of any bugs. You may not get them all first time, don’t worry they’ll appear and you can remove them.
Strip the tiny white florets from the flower heads. I pull them off with my finger tips. You only want the flowers, not the stems, the stems are poisonous if eaten in large quantities so try to separate them as best you can. It is fiddly doing this but rather therapeutic and it’s a lovely ‘sunny evening’ thing to do on the patio.
Add the tiny white florets to the pan that has the lid and compost the stems.
Zest five lemons and add the zest to the pan.
Juice the five lemons, I use a fork to juice mine as I find it easier, and add the juice to the elderflower and lemon zest.
Stir together so that the elderflower soaks up the lemon juice and the zest is combined.
The infusion has begun.
Move over to your oven hob and pour the water in to a pan.
Turn the heat up high.
Pour in the sugar and stir.
Stir until the water has turned clear. This means that all of the sugar has dissolved, which is what you want.
Carry on stirring until it boils.
Allow it to stay at a rolling boil for another minute or so and then pour the water/sugar mixture over the elderflower and lemon.
Replace the lid of the pan and place your ‘soon to be’ Elderflower Syrup to one side. Allow it cool and remain to one side for three days. If you drain it before three days are up you’ll find that the syrup has very little elderflower flavour and is just very, very sweet. Even after three days the taste of elderflower is extremely subtle, but that is the beauty of it. You’ll know the difference between a quality syrup and sugar water I promise.
After three days drain the liquid through a very fine sieve or a preserving stand and pour the syrup in to steralised glass bottles with an air tight lid or stopper. Keep in the fridge for up to a month.
As soon as mine is bottled up I’ll add a picture. Bottles of Elderflower Syrup make fantastic gifts for people. Add your own label and you can start a cottage industry!
Have a fantastic day wherever you are.
I love you and thank you for reading.
Cherry x
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[...] 02 Cheryl Menlove “How to make elderflower syrup and elderflower syrup recipe” [...]
Elderflower is divine! This has inspired me to go for a country trog this weekend and collect some elderflowers to make some…I may even attempt some elderflower ‘champagne’, although I really shouldn’t call it that ;0) . When made properly it is the BEST sparkling home-made wine you can make, light not too sweet and refreshing. That reminds me of being a kid! Not that I got to drink a lot of it then…Thanks Cherry!!
Now you have me quite curious. There are two bushes in my yard that look just like this and we’ve never known what they are. They have the same little white flowers which turn into berries. Off to the garden center for identification!
What fun to make this lovely syrup!
got to be careful how I word this (I don’t want to sound rude), but it reminds me of something I used to do when I was little. I used to pick the elderflowers from the trees growing on the allotments behind my mum & dads house, then mix it with water. My thinking was to make perfume. I’d forget about it, then come back a few days later, find this brown, stinky water and declare I had made perfume!
I have no doubt that your syrup is divine, but seeing all those flowers in the pan just brings back memories of my brown gloop!
have a lovely day. Sunny here, so I hope it is where you are. That said, I’ve just cleaned my windows so no doubt it’ll rain later
x
mmmm, off to find some methinks,
will be making icecream later so will be perfect, thanks!
not so much the car dirt on lower branches on the roadside , more like dog wee! eek – even on the country lanes near our house you see lots of cock a leggy going on, so we never pick anything on lower branches, blackberries or anything,
sorry! but its true….