The tast of summer - Elderflower syrup
Elderflowers bloom from the end of May to the end of June. The bushy growing plant is found on forest edges, in hedges, forest glades or in the garden. The pretty, fragrant flowers can easily be used to make a sweet syrup, which can be used pure with mineral water for a sparkling soda or in combination with other (also alcoholic) ingredients for a fizzy drink (e.g. “Hugo”). You only need four ingredients and a little time and patience to make elderflower syrup.
Elderflowers are best collected on a dry and sunny day; then they taste best. Make sure you only collect fully blossomed umbels. I cut off the umbels with sharp scissors and collect them loosely in a large paper bag so that they do not get crushed. I take the lower flowers for myself and leave the upper flowers for the birds, as the flowers produce elderberries, which the birds like to eat. The berries can also be made into syrup, jelly, juice or chutney. So divide them up well if you want to use both the flowers and the berries of the elderberry bush in your garden! As I do not have a garden and my little elderberry in a pot on my balcony does not produce enough flowers, I go to the nearby forest and collect the flowers there.
Heads up! There are plants that have very similar flowers to elderberry and there is a risk of confusion, for example with the poisonous dwarf elder. Elderflowers are white to creamy white. The shrub itself has pinnate leaves that are arranged in opposite directions. The best way to recognize elderberries is by the scent of the flowers. Just smell it and if it smells like elder, then it is elder.
This is how elderflowers and leaves look like. The flowers also have a pleasantly sweet smell of - oh wonder - elderberry. The leaves of the elderberry also have small jagged edges.
Cornus Walteri also looks similar to elderberry. However, the flowers look like little stars and the leaves do not have jagged edges like the elderberry. The dogwood also smells unpleasantly fishy.
For two liters of syrup, I collect about 15 (or more) elderflower umbels, or a few more, depending on the size. Shake the elderflowers well so that any insects fall out. Do not wash the elderflower umbels, otherwise they will lose their typical fragrance! Cut off the stems very briefly and place the umbels in a large bowl or a large pan (e.g. a spaghetti pan). Boil two liters of water and pour it boiling hot over the elderflowers. Add 2 kg of white sugar and 2 dl of lemon juice (or 40 g citric acid) and stir carefully. The blossoms may turn brown during the process. This is completely normal. The color change has no effect on the taste. Cover the bowl and leave for around 24 hours. Stir occasionally, as the sugar will settle to the bottom of the pan. Stirring dissolves the sugar and distributes it nicely in the liquid.
After approx. 24 hours, line a strainer (e.g. a pasta strainer) with a clean cloth and pour the liquid through the strainer and cloth into a pan. Taste the liquid briefly before boiling it. If it tastes bitter, pour it out! If it tastes sweet and like elderberry, boil the liquid while stirring.
Sterilize the clean bottles, which to fill the boiling hot finished syrup in the oven at 100° C. Place the clean bottles on a baking tray and place them in the oven at 100°C oven for a few minutes. Close the filled bottles immediately and leave to cool on an insulating surface.
The finished syrup can be kept in a cool, dark place for a about 6 months (or even longer). Once the bottle has been opened, it should be kept in the fridge.
Elderflower syrup can be mixed with sparkling water, lemon slices and ice cubes to make sparkling sodas, used in cocktails such as Hugo or added to desserts and cakes. I also often take homemade elderflower syrup with me as gifts when I'm invited to summer parties. Elderflower syrup is said to have antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties and to strengthen the immune system. That's why I always make myself a drink in winter with freshly squeezed oranges, some elderflower syrup and sparkling water. The drink not only tastes fruity and sweet but also protects against colds.