Selfsufficientish.com

We are looking out of our window at some glorious elderflowers sitting in the sunshine. Little do they know they are going to be snatched, fermented and bottled very soon.

Is this stuff alcoholic? I surely hope so.

We were just talking about elderflower wine and I thought.'I know where I can find a recipe' and here I find it. 8)

How many flower heads in a pint, how do you measure it. Am I being thick here ~ yes you may be honest, I can take it.

I have a bag full of elderflowers too destined for cordial and wine. The recipe I have for elderflowqer wine says take off the flowers and put them in a measuring jug, ensuring that all the bitter green branch bit is not still attached. Shake them down but don't push them until you get a pints worth.

Been on a citric acid hunt this morning can't seem to find any anywhere!

Tried the chemists? I know it sounds obvious. What do you need it for? Can't you use lemons or vinegar?

Oh thanks for the measuring tip ~TA.

Should be available in your supermarket - it is in ours - try the cooking or spices section

Nev

shiney wrote:Tried the chemists? I know it sounds obvious. What do you need it for? Can't you use lemons or vinegar?

Oh thanks for the measuring tip ~TA.

The recipe I have says use lemons and Citric acid, I did wonder as surely lemons contain citric acid.

Yup, they do, but to give a drink that tart acide flavour they probably want the extra citric acid!

Nev

I moved into my new house a year ago - I have a huge elderflower tree at the bottom of the garden and have recently purchased a home wine making kit, am interested to know what makes better wine - elderflower or elderberry? I have also managed to secure myself a copy of the 500 Recipes - Home Made Wines and Drinks book everyone is raving about which I am really chuffed about! One other thing, I got the recipe for elderflower cordial off this site but was wondering if anyone has any suggestions about using less sugar or alternative ways of sweetening?

Hello Suemonk - first post so welcome to the site too.



I did not have enough sugar to make use the quanties that were quoted in the recipe and I often use a bit less then most recipes will say in things. I am pretty wary of sugar sustitutes as they will ofen use aspathamine which is a pretty nasty chemical and pretty addictive.

There is plenty of elder growing wild so why not try both the elderberry and elderflower wine? If you have the space for it.

BTW I got the citiric acid in the end from an 'old style' chemist.

Found the recipe for elderflower cordial, how do you store it and how long does it keep?
The flowers are just coming out now here in Fife, looking forward to making the wine too! I have an old country wine recipe book(1953) that has recipes for both the berries and the flowers. Most of the people I've spoken to all say that the flower makes a great wine so I am going to make a port with the berries.
I haven't found any recipes with sugar alternatives, from what I've read if you dont have sugar then you need more fruit which makes the wine too fruity!
By the way, non of these old recipes use citric acid, its lemons and/or oranges.
I reckon we should have a wine/beer/preserves etc fest in 2 yrs time, all the self suffientishes together!

Forgot to log in

You can store it in the fridge for a about 4 weeks or freeze it in plastic bottles.

suemonk1999 wrote:am interested to know what makes better wine - elderflower or elderberry?

I read somewhere (might even be in that 500 recipies book!) that elderberry wine can give Bordeaux a run for its money. Not sure I believe it...not until the 3rd bottle anyway!

I'd try both! Only way to know for sure!

Alcina

There's old ruins of a monastary near us that has a rather splendid elder tree.
Last year we made elderflower wine..was alright But the elderberry wine was delicious.
Trouble was we'd picked all the lower flowers, so when we went back for the berries I had to sit on my husbands shoulders to reach them. We were like a couple of kids scrumping ( not that I know anything about THAT kind of thing..hum, hum, hum) I'm amazed we never did ourselves an injury. He's 58 and I'm a little younger!!
We also made blackcurrant wine from bushes on our allotment.
Both the elderberry and blackcurrant were tedious to prepare but the rewards were worth it. I swear the blackcurrant was as good as a £7 bottle from Saoinsburys.

Jill..

G'Day Jill,

Scrumping?

Nev

Nev,

I can't believe you don't know what scrumping is!!!!!

Now to explain to you what scrumping is I am going to have to confess to a "miss spent youth" !! Sadly it's probably what half the kids that were shipped out to Aus on the convict ships were caught doing.

It's when you pinch fruit off of someones tree.

"I don't do it any more, honest m'lord"

The elder tree in question was on public land, REALLY IT WAS



Jill..