Selfsufficientish.com

Okay, I have very carefully picked one pint of elderflowers, put in zest of one lemon and eight pints of boiling water and it stinks like cats' pee. Is this right?

Don't worry it will come out fine in the end - it's just that your nose gets too much of the smell up it and the flowers start smelling awful after you've sniffed too many of them. I think it is like that phenomena where perfumed violets smell delicious the first time you smell them then you go to do it again and the smell has disappeared!

If I can find the thread from last year where I asked about the cat pee smell I'll post the link.

Finally found it!
http://www.selfsufficientish.com/forum/ ... t=elder%2A

Thanks MMM, I have had a look through the post, it made me giggle, glad it's not just my nose!!!!

oooh it stinks doesnt it ... never leave the elderflowers lying around either as they smell the same really quick ... I only pick them when I know I can come home and deal with them straight away

I gave a bagful to a friend and her husband when they came for a meal (she wanted to make champagne) and apparently they smelled so bad that they were ejected out of the car window on the way home!! They have a very definitive smell!!

A bit late for a comment now as elderflowers are out of season. But the horrible sour smell comes from elder wood not so much the individual flower heads, You can have the same issue with elderberries also. The thing is to strip off all the flowers and discard any stalks before use. With berries wash thoroughly also and discard any green berries that float up to the surface.

Roger