Harvest elder flowers for a day for connoisseurs

Elder flowers bloom from May to July

At the end of May, elderflowers are in on forest edges Bavaria and Austria not to be overlooked. Then you can enjoy nature, because its flower umbels shine white between the green of the bushes at the edge of the forest. You should actually find an elderberry location on every excursion into nature in Germany because elderberry grows in temperate to subtropical zones. With us it even thrives right on the doorstep. However, it is usually enough to go for a walk in regions where there are forests. Elderberries like to grow in the bushes at the edge of the forest where they get sun. He loves sunny places.

We have the photo above in Wernberg Abbey in Carinthia added. The elder grows abundantly on the slopes above the Drau. An elderberry location that is perfect. Sufficient flowers for our elderflower recipes. A tip: use the excursion for a picnic on road. This makes the day even more fun. The fitting picnic Accessories can be found here. It's time to make elderflower syrup and elderflower liqueur.

 

 

Harvest the right elder flowers

You should be careful that you harvest elder flowers from black elder. Because there are also poisonous elderberry species. You can recognize the black elder by:

• It grows as a shrub on the edge of the path, in forest clearings and in hedges. The elderberry location is the same for all elderberry species. Riverside is also a good location for elderberries.
• Its height of 3 to 5 meters is striking. It differs from the poisonous dwarf elderberry, which is between 0,60 and 1,50 meters high.
• It has elliptical leaves with a jagged edge.
• Its leaf arrangement also differs from dwarf elderberry. The black elder has 2 pairs of leaves opposite and 1 leaf on top. The poisonous dwarf elder has seven to nine lanceolate leaves that are five to fifteen centimeters long. They have a finely sawn edge.
• The flowers of the two species are very similar. They bloom white from May to July.
• Its fruits are purple-black berries in August and September, at the beginning they are reddish in color.
• The most striking difference is the smell: while the black elderberry smells pleasantly sweet, the poisonous dwarf elderberry develops a bad smell.

 

Elderberry is easy to process

You can easily use the scent of elderflowers for syrups, jellies, liqueurs or teas. With elderberry essences you can Cocktails or spice up lemonades. This gives them a taste that is unmistakable. Here are a few recipes you'll need the buds for.

 

 

Elder flower recipes

We like to make syrup and liqueur from elderberry. One to two bottles are usually enough to capture the taste of elderberry after flowering. We use it to prepare drinks or cakes. These convey a taste that is reminiscent of spring throughout the year.

Make elder flower syrup yourself

First boil a few bottles with a screw cap. If the syrup is to last a long time, it must be sterile and close tightly.

Ingredients

• 15 to 20 elderflowers
• two kilograms of sugar
• two liters of water
• 50 grams of citric acid
• an organic lemon
• a tea towel to pass the liquid through

Preparation

Shake out the elder flowers thoroughly. Make sure that you remove bugs. You should not wash the flowers, as the aroma will be lost. Use only open flowers. If the buds are still closed, the flower contains bitter substances. The same applies if you use thick flower stems. You should cut these off.

Boil the water with the sugar until it dissolves in the liquid.

Now put the elder flowers, the sliced ​​lemon and citric acid in a saucepan. Pour the sugar water over it.

Let it sit for 2-3 days. The longer, the more intense the syrup tastes of elderflower.

Then you pass the liquid through a large tea towel. This will remove everything that does not belong in the syrup.

You boil the liquid again. Then you fill it into the bottles, that you sterilized in boiling water.

Elder flower blossom syrup keeps fresh unopened for up to twelve months. It is best to put an opened bottle in the fridge. The syrup keeps there for several months.

 

 

 

Make elder flower liqueur yourself

With the elder flower syrup you have already made one of the ingredients for the liqueur. To make liqueur from it you need the following:

Ingredients

• a liter of elder flower syrup
• 500 to 750 milliliters of white rum (or vodka or cognac)

Preparation

Mix the elder flower syrup with the rum. Let the liquid sit for about two weeks. As a result, it loses acidity and tastes milder. Then you can enjoy the elder flower liqueur.

 

 

Elder Cake

You can prepare a meal with the fresh elder flower. That is "wild cuisine" and Food that is easy to cook and it tastes great. You need this:

Ingredients

• 100 g - 125 g wheat flour (type 405)
• A tablespoon of milk
• Two eggs
• a small glass of white wine (some also take beer or mineral water)
• a pinch of salt
• 1 organic lemon or lemon peel (powder)
• Neutral vegetable oil for baking
• Powdered sugar for sprinkling
• a few leaves of mint to decorate

Preparation

Clean the elder flowers from vermin. You can also wash them. But the flowers lose their taste. We don't do it.

Separate the eggs and mix the egg yolk with the flour to a smooth dough. Add milk and wine. The dough should not be too thin.

Let the dough rest for a few more minutes.

In the meantime, beat the egg whites to firm snow. Now lift this under the dough. Season the dough with lemon zest and a pinch of salt.

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Put enough oil in the pot that the bottom is covered about one and a half centimeters high. Test the heat of the oil with a small drop of batter. If bubbles form and this floats above, the oil has the right heat.

Remove vermin and green leaves from the flower umbels. Now dip the elder flowers in the dough and let them drain a little.

Then you put them in the hot fat and let them in until they have a golden brown color.

Let the fried hollerküchle drain on a sheet of kitchen roll.

Then serve them on a plate. Sprinkle them with powdered sugar and add a few leaves of fresh mint as a decoration. We are happy to use chocolate mint for this. This gives the simple dish a special whistle.

Enjoy it and savor a day trip full of pleasure

Take the time to collect elder flowers. We look forward to the drinks and dishes we use to prepare them all year round. Since we have been living in the country, we have been using the time for preserving plants, herbs and fruit that nature offers us. With these elder flower recipes, we are expanding our menu with taste experiences that we did not know in the city. This is Country life with pleasurehow we love it.

 

 

Do you already know:

• Mostviertel Austria
• Where to see the cranberry harvest in Canada
• spirits
• Country life and enjoyment - dandelion salad
• Three destinations in March, April and May

Source: own research

Text: © Copyright Monika Fuchs, TravelWorldOnline
Photos: © Copyright Monika Fuchs, TravelWorldOnline