Elderflower cordial and other hedgerow goodies

Every Saturday now I am in charge of the children as Liz is working. The simplest way to keep them occupied, healthy and having fun seems to be to get Millie in the push chair / back pack and Mabel on her feet / bike / scooter, Nelson on his lead and head off into the countryside exploring.

Yesterday we gathered Elderflower heads (to make cordial).



We picked Dead White Nettle flowers (to suck out the sweet nectar).



We found loads of wild herbs, shook blossom from trees so it was like snow, pulled grass gently from stems to eat the sweet inner stems. All good experience for Mabel and Millie.



On the way round the field we discovered an animal track that runs right across, only now visible through the grass having been cut for silage. We guessed at what may have been using it.



When we got back we made the cordial to my own homemade guessed recipe which varies every time I do it...

The principal is to extract the flavour from the Elderflowers without the creepy crawlies. Then sweeten it and add some citric acid to preserve it and enhance the flavour. To do this we put the flowers in a big bowl, pour over boiling water and leave it a few hours.



We then strain it through a tea towel into a pan, add enough sugar to make it really sweet, chop up a lemon or lime and boil it for 15 minutes.



Strain it again into a jug and then decant it once the sediment has settled into a bottle. Chill and keep in the fridge. To use it we dilute it roughly to 20 to 25% and serve with ice. Nothing hits the spot better on a hot summer day. It keeps for a week or so no problem this way.

Later on Millie played in the garden, using her brick trolley to practice the walking which she started doing just a few days ago.