Elderflower Syrup
Elderflower syrup is full of flavonoids, potassium, phytosterols and vitamins. It is used in the treatment of colds and flu. It has a diuretic, detoxifying and expectorating effect. In addition to its health properties, it also has a unique taste and smell.
The proportions for a classic syrup are sugar and water in a 1:1 ratio and as many flowers as possible. It’s best to fill the entire jar. I additionally cut off the twigs so that there are as many flowers in the jar as possible and add a lot of lemon juice so that the juice is not bland. Ready syrup (one that has been aged for 24-48 hours) is enough to strain and pour into jars or bottles. The syrup has so much sugar in it that it can be stored in the fridge for a long time. However, if you want, you can pasteurize it, e.g. in a dishwasher, oven or pot. The syrup comes out very intense.
Elderberry flowers are collected in May and June. It is also worth paying attention to the place where we collect them. Ideally, they should be located away from busy roads so that they are as little polluted as possible. Shrubs can be found in parks, on the edges of forests, in clearings, near rivers and lakes. To pick flowers, it is worth equipping yourself with a pruning shears and long pants, because they often grow in the company of nettles ;).
In addition, it is worth picking eldelflowers on sunny days and not right after the rain because we care most about pollen that the rain could wash away, which is why we do not wash the flowers after collecting.
We prepare the syrup on the same day we picked the flowers. If you have a balcony, garden or terrace, it is worth spreading the flowers on the table outside and leaving them for about 1 hour so that any bugs can escape 🙂 When picking, also watch out for aphids so as not to bring them to your gardens.
Remember to pick white fully developed flowers, do not pick faded inflorescences or brown twigs, they can add unwanted bitterness to the syrup.
Never eat raw flowers! They must be subjected to thermal treatment in order to get rid of harmful compounds.
Elderflower syrup
Elderflower Syrup Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 kg sugar
- 3 litry water
- 10 lemons
- 100 whole umbels of elderflowers (the more the better)
Instructions
- Collect elderberry flowers (whole umbels) the more the better, preferably to fill the whole jar. Put the collected flowers on the table for about 1 hour so that any bugs can escape from them. Then transfer the whole umbels to the jar. You can trim the green parts to fit more flowers into the jar, but it's not necessary.100 whole umbels of elderflowers
- Boil water in a large pot. Pour the sugar into the boiling water and stir until it dissolves. Pour the lemon juice into the syrup. Stir and turn the heat off.Pour the hot syrup over the flowers, then close the jar and put it in a dark, warm place for 48 hours. After 2 days, filter the syrup (I first pour the syrup through a sieve and then through gauze). Pour the strained syrup into sterilized bottles.3 kg sugar, 3 litry water, 10 lemons
- If you want, you can preserve bottles with syrup in a pot, in the oven or in the dishwasher.To seal bottles with syrup in a pot, all you have to do is put a cloth in the pot and place the bottles on it (so that they don't touch each other). Pour cold water into the pot so that it reaches about ¾ of the bottle. Boil the bottles for about 20 minutes (from the moment of boiling). Then remove the bottles from the pot and turn them upside down. Leave the bottles in this position for about 24 hours. After this time, check if the bottles are well closed – if the caps "click" when you press them with your finger, you need to seal them again.
Video
Notes
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet
