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.
This is what you need if you go collecting elderberry flowers
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- Comfortable shoes, which also allow you to walk over rough terrain. Elderberry bushes rarely grow right next to the road.
- A basket *, in which you collect the elderberry flowers
- An Garden shears
*, which you use to cut off the flowers
If you purchase via a link marked *, we receive a commission, which we use to run this blog.
Harvest the right elder flowers
You should definitely be careful when harvesting elderberry flowers from the black elderberry. Because there are also poisonous elderberry species. You can recognize the black elderberry by:
- It grows as a shrub along the side of the road, in forest clearings and in hedges. However, the elderberry location is the same for all elderberry species. A good elderberry location is also a river bank.
- 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 the dwarf elderberry. The black elderberry has 2 pairs of leaves opposite each other and 1 leaf at the tip. The poisonous dwarf elderberry has seven to nine lanceolate leaves that are five to fifteen centimeters long. They also 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.
You need this equipment to make elderberry syrup and liqueur yourself
- A Pot with metal lid * (the syrup must be made dark and cool)
- Glass bottles with screw cap *in which you can keep the syrup or liqueur airtight
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.
Tired of making elder flower syrup yourself?
No problem! You can order elderberry products online here:
- The Elder flower syrup * here
- Elder flower liqueur * for girls' evening
- Elder flower jelly * tastes very refreshing on breakfast bread
- The Elder flower tea * , which people have been drinking for thousands of years.
- Elder flower jam *
Make elder flower liqueur yourself
You have already made one of the ingredients for the liqueur with the elderflower syrup. 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 elderflowers. This is “wild cuisine” and Food that is easy to cook and it tastes just as great. This is what you need for 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 elderberry flowers from pests. You can also wash them. But then the flowers lose their taste. We do without 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 until stiff peaks form. Then fold it under the dough. Season the dough with lemon zest and a pinch of salt.
Heat the oil in a pot. Add enough oil to the pot to cover the bottom by about one and a half centimeters. Test the heat of the oil with a small drop of batter. If bubbles then form and it floats to the top, the oil is at the right heat.
Remove pest residue and green leaves from the flower umbels. Then dip the elderflowers into the batter and let them drain.
Then you put them in the hot fat and let them in until they have a golden brown color.
Finally, let the fried elderberry cakes drain on a sheet of kitchen roll.
Then serve them on a plate. Sprinkle them with powdered sugar and add a few fresh mint leaves for decoration. We like to use chocolate mint for this. This also gives the simple dish a special twist.
Enjoy it and savor a day trip full of pleasure
Take the time to collect elderflowers. We enjoy the drinks and food we prepare with it all year round. Since we have lived in the country, we have used the time that nature offers us to preserve plants, herbs and fruits. These elderflower recipes expand our menu with taste experiences that we didn't know in the city. That is Country life with pleasurehow we love it.
Do you know this?
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Source: own research. In any case, our opinion remains our own.
Text: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Photos: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
