Its been a day for Picking Elderflowers
We walked Missy down the river this morning and gave her a long hard run. A beautiful morning with the sun out it was getting progressively warmer and we were out in the countryside area of Peterborough down by the river enjoying the fresh air. The wind was blowing through the trees and giving that soothing rustling sound rippling through the air with each sway.
There was a reason for me going walkies this morning and that was to pick the first of the Elderflowers so that I can get some Elderflower cordial and Elderflower champagne on the go. Needless to say you cannot always get to the best flowers because there are stingers in the way and I got stung once or twice in the process but then I got the flowers that I was after which I am pleased about. The Elderflower harvest is one of the important ones to me.
I am hoping to go again in the week and get some more so that I can then get some Elderflower wine on the go as well which is one of my favourite wines. There are other recipes as well to use the Elderflowers in some of which I have not made before but I am hoping to get some Gooseberries to make Elderflower and Gooseberry jam for use in cakes and scones with cream. I love Gooseberry jam on its own in any event but have not tried it with the Elderflower which I believe will give it a "muscat" very aromatic flavour.
I also want to pay a visit to the PYO farm and get Strawberries to pop up in the freezer, in jams, bottled, syrups and I also want to start a Rumptopf off so that we can have some nice goodies for the winter months. Rumptopf fruit served with double whipped cream or cinnamon ice cream is delish and you can serve the ruby red alcoholic liquid in little liqueur glasses on its own - scrummy.
So now for a little while I am going to be happily engaged in preparing the Elderflower Cordial and Elderflower Champagne in the kitchen. OH has rescued some more Demijohns from the shed for me and has indicated that there are a lot more in there as well which I am pleased about as I do not really want to have to go and buy any more Demijohns if I can help it when I had a fair few in the first place. They will need new airlocks though.
The recipe I use for my Elderflower cordial can be found here: http://tarragonnthyme.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/elderflower-cordial.html
Right upwards and onwards I need to get the preparation under way and then locate the bottles.
Catch you later.
Pattypan
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Iused to make goosebery and elderflower jam every year when my children were at home, it's absolutely gorgeous! No elderflowers here yet, they're in bud but not open apart from the odd one.
ReplyDeleteHi Rowan that is lovely to know. I think I will be going to the supermarket tomorrow for some goosegogs. The PYO is only just coming into season with the strawberries so will have to do what I can with what is available to me. Oh for that house in the country with the large growing space. The elderflowers have only really started flowering this past week or so - I have been watching them like a hawk - and intend to go in the week as well to get some blossoms for home made Elderflower wine which is a favourite and also looking into drying elderflowers in my new dehydratorr might be a bit pokey for them but I shall look into further. You can make wine from the dried blossoms as well out of season. Take care
DeleteTricia
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