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crowsashes wrote:elder flowers have just started to open down here in plymouth, wont be long for the rest of you now
ill be gathering mine soon as i get enough sugar

yup - I've made my second batches of both cordial and champagne. about to start a 3rd

I've got my elderflowers in my pan with lemons and sugar... not sure how much sugar I just chucked a load in, lol... unfortunately it's been raining lately but I couldn't help it... I wanted elderflower cordial... now! lol... tho most of them haven't actually come out yet and I've only done a little batch so hopefully we'll get some nice loverly weather for my next batch!

Do many people make cordial without citric acid? I was thinking it would be ok for a month maybe in the fridge and keepm the rest frozen? Also, what's the easiest way to sterilise plastic bottles?

Cheers
Bob

I didn't this year as I don't have any but it's all gone in the freezer. Last year I made redcurrant and blackcurrant cordials without citric acid and when I defrosted a bottle's worth it would stay good in the fridge for up to about 3 weeks (I can't say when it would actually go off, that's about how long it sat there at most before I finished off the bottle of cordial). I don't think it is necessary at all if you plan to freeze cordial.

I don't sterlilise my plastic containers for the freezer or the glass bottle that I decant the defrosted stuff into.

Excellent, cheers.

Next question...have people experimented with using different, healthier sweeteners (I'm thinking honey, unrefined brown sugar or, at totally the other end of the spectrum, artificial sweeteners)?

Ta.

I'm just about to put myself a gallon of elderflower wine on and see how it goes, the hawthornwine i tried was a complete disaster!! lol it fermented for a day the just died i tried using a restart yeast but that died as soon as i put it in so i can only assume contamination somwhere along the line ah well these things are sent to try us i'll let you guys know how i get on
Thanks Dave

bobby280 wrote:Next question...have people experimented with using different, healthier sweeteners (I'm thinking honey, unrefined brown sugar or, at totally the other end of the spectrum, artificial sweeteners)?

Ta.

As nobody has answered this then the answer is probably not - but I did make some blackberry juice one year then added artifical sweeteners to it but it tasted horrible, but I don't know whether that's because blackberry juice is horrible or not!

I use ordinary white sugar for all cordials just because it is the cheapest.

I just use whatever sugar I've got but love light or dark brown for flavour. I haven't had any problems with it for elderflower cordial but haven't tried cordials for other fruits. It makes it a bit darker but that's fine by me. Honey sounds nice, maybe I'll give that a try if I get round to doing second batch this season.

Jill

Cheers. Bottling up tonight. Used cheap white sugar so we shall see.

I would imagine that using sweeteners other than plain white sugar would affect the flavour - which I wouldn't want. I've made 2 batches, a total of about 15 litres. That'll see me through until next year. http://www.jeremytaylor.eu/elderflower_syrup.htm

i've been thinking of making something with elderflower, there is so much about that it seems a waste not to. but i've noticed that even on the same tree the flowers can smell markedly different - some smell lovely but most of them smell a bit like cat pee. so i've been put off a bit

Elderflower always smells that way out of the Sun / when its a bit damp. Coridal and wine has that aroma a bit as well. Don't let it put you off its lovely.

so if you pick them on a warm dry day it would have less pee smell? maybe i will try then. if there is a pee smell, is it reduced after being processed/cooked?

gonna have a hard time getting a warm dry day where i live though

fenris wrote:i've been thinking of making something with elderflower, there is so much about that it seems a waste not to. but i've noticed that even on the same tree the flowers can smell markedly different - some smell lovely but most of them smell a bit like cat pee. so i've been put off a bit

Fenris read this thread as it will explain it all, don't be put off picking the flowers! Where are you by the way as you haven't put your location in? (go to your Profile and you can enter it there)

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/forum/ ... er+cat+pee