reading time: 5 min
Elderflower cordial is an old summer staple of mine. I used to make this in school every summer, and now I make it using the elder bushes in my local area. The
heavily scented flowers make a wonderful syrup, which – when
stored in sterilized bottles – will keep for several months. The aromatic, highly concentrated syrup can be mixed with still or sparkling water for a lovely refreshing summer drink.
The cordial is also great for ice cream, cakes, yogurt, kombucha, white wine, champagne or prosecco.
If you missed elderflower season this year, don't fret! You can just use meadowsweet instead, which blooms until August.
Where and How to Harvest Elderflowers
Elders (Sambucus nigra) grow wild in ditches, roadsides and swampy areas. They prefer sunny and semi-sunny spots, and you’ll most often find them at the edges of woodland, meadows or car parks as well as in hedgerows or on water grounds.
Elderflowers – also known as elderberry flowers or elder blow –
appear before elderberries, and they arrive any time between late April through July, depending on your location and climate. In
June the elder is usually at its finest, covered in the creamy
white of its flowers, giving off a lovely perfume-y sweet floral scent.
Make sure you have the right flower. There are plants that resemble the elderflower plant, such as hogweed and hemlock, but are very dangerous. So do your research. To me, the flat umbrella shape of the umbels combined with the characteristic scent of the flowers and the overall shape of the bushes are unmistakable distinguishing marks.
Avoid elderflowers that are growing close to heavy traffic and busy roads, as they often do – to avoid pollution. And of course, make sure you're not trespassing on private land when you're picking the flowers.
Don't pick your elderflowers after a rain shower as they lose some of their aroma. Instead, collect them on a dry day and later in the morning. This will ensure that they're not soggy with dew. Ideally pick these on a warm sunny day, around noon. This is when they are particularly aromatic.
Harvest only fully flowered elderflowers – for a better aroma. You can tell that they are ready to be picked when the flowers are dusted with yellow pollen. That's the good stuff!
Take a pair of sharp scissors and remove flower heads just below where
all the small stems meet the main stem. Use a basket or an old
carrier bag to carry your haul.
Elderflowers
can be used to make elderflower champagne, mead, wine, syrup/cordial,
jam, jelly, sauce, chutney, and fruit leather.
General Foraging Guidelines:
You should be 100 % certain you are identifying the correct plant. If you do not know what it is, DO NOT eat it! Do not pick if you're in doubt!
Don't harvest from contaminated areas such as busy roadsides, near industrial facilities, where dogs pee, along the edges of agricultural fields, old landfill sites etc.
Be mindful & harvest sustainably. Only
pick from areas that have a plentiful supply, and never more than 1/4 of a plant, ideally only about 5 %.
Leave the harvesting area litter-free.
Be sure to leave some flowers on the shrubs so that you (and
the birds) can enjoy elderberries in late summer. I try to rather gather a few flowers from several shrubs than a lot from just one shrub. That way there's still plenty left for any animals that rely on the plant! :)
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