Berries

[Chris Hammond]

I was out walking yesterday and passed bushes heaving with haw berries and rose hips. It seemed such a waste when you consider there are people in this world starving to death.

Anyway, I’ve made rose hip syrup in the past but I’m not keen on consuming that amount of sugar, so was wondering if any other foragers could suggest any other culinary uses for them? No not itching powder!)

I’m going to make ketchup with the haws. Has anybody on the forum made it or tried it?

[DaveGreenwood]

Haven't you got a Morrisons nearby Chris?

Only kidding maybe jam from the Hawthorn berries?

[davelumb]

Depriving the winter thrushes of their food. Shame on you!

[Stewlaws]

I was out walking yesterday and passed bushes heaving with haw berries and rose hips. It seemed such a waste when you consider there are people in this world starving to death.

Anyway, I’ve made rose hip syrup in the past but I’m not keen on consuming that amount of sugar, so was wondering if any other foragers could suggest any other culinary uses for them? No not itching powder!)

I’m going to make ketchup with the haws. Has anybody on the forum made it or tried it?

Regarding the Haws Chris, go for a wander and try a few from each tree, it is amazing the difference in taste, including texture, also some are 'dry' some are more 'moist' (my partners fav word!)

Same on the rose hip, they vary greatly on taste, we always grab a few and eat them on walks, they go from bland to really sweet.

Ref Haws, grab a 1lb of the sweetest ones and put in a bowl add a small amount of water (couple of tablespoon no more) and knead these will pulp up and go into a brown paste(you lose the yellowness due to oxidisation, ignore this) keep working this with you hands (will clean hands and naturally condition the skin..a bonus) until you have broken down all the pulp, then pass through a fine sieve, whilst scraping the bottoming of the sieve and removing the fine refined pulp, as you work it through the sieve using either a spoon of hands, then spread the refined pulp onto parchment, to around 2-3 mm thickness and allow to dry (appx hour), it is the consistency of 'fruit Leather' and can be cut into squares ... my kids liked it, we all do.

Ref Rosehips, I have made apple and rosehip jelly, apples are plentiful this time of year If I can get a few quinces these go in as well, then cook down, pass through muslin then reboil with sugar and check the 'set' ..... something good about fresh toast and homemade jellies (also use jellies for gravies if cooking up lamb/pork)

[Chris Hammond]

I was out walking yesterday and passed bushes heaving with haw berries and rose hips. It seemed such a waste when you consider there are people in this world starving to death.

Anyway, I’ve made rose hip syrup in the past but I’m not keen on consuming that amount of sugar, so was wondering if any other foragers could suggest any other culinary uses for them? No not itching powder!)

I’m going to make ketchup with the haws. Has anybody on the forum made it or tried it?

Regarding the Haws Chris, go for a wander and try a few from each tree, it is amazing the difference in taste, including texture, also some are 'dry' some are more 'moist' (my partners fav word!)

Same on the rose hip, they vary greatly on taste, we always grab a few and eat them on walks, they go from bland to really sweet.

Ref Haws, grab a 1lb of the sweetest ones and put in a bowl add a small amount of water (couple of tablespoon no more) and knead these will pulp up and go into a brown paste(you lose the yellowness due to oxidisation, ignore this) keep working this with you hands (will clean hands and naturally condition the skin..a bonus) until you have broken down all the pulp, then pass through a fine sieve, whilst scraping the bottoming of the sieve and removing the fine refined pulp, as you work it through the sieve using either a spoon of hands, then spread the refined pulp onto parchment, to around 2-3 mm thickness and allow to dry (appx hour), it is the consistency of 'fruit Leather' and can be cut into squares ... my kids liked it, we all do.

Ref Rosehips, I have made apple and rosehip jelly, apples are plentiful this time of year If I can get a few quinces these go in as well, then cook down, pass through muslin then reboil with sugar and check the 'set' ..... something good about fresh toast and homemade jellies (also use jellies for gravies if cooking up lamb/pork)

Sorry Stew I forgot this thread.

That’s an excellent post! I will definitely try the fruit leather.

Do you mean you eat raw rose hips? I kind of thought the itchy hairs inside would need to be separated.

[Stewlaws]

I was out walking yesterday and passed bushes heaving with haw berries and rose hips. It seemed such a waste when you consider there are people in this world starving to death.

Anyway, I’ve made rose hip syrup in the past but I’m not keen on consuming that amount of sugar, so was wondering if any other foragers could suggest any other culinary uses for them? No not itching powder!)

I’m going to make ketchup with the haws. Has anybody on the forum made it or tried it?

Regarding the Haws Chris, go for a wander and try a few from each tree, it is amazing the difference in taste, including texture, also some are 'dry' some are more 'moist' (my partners fav word!)

Same on the rose hip, they vary greatly on taste, we always grab a few and eat them on walks, they go from bland to really sweet.

Ref Haws, grab a 1lb of the sweetest ones and put in a bowl add a small amount of water (couple of tablespoon no more) and knead these will pulp up and go into a brown paste(you lose the yellowness due to oxidisation, ignore this) keep working this with you hands (will clean hands and naturally condition the skin..a bonus) until you have broken down all the pulp, then pass through a fine sieve, whilst scraping the bottoming of the sieve and removing the fine refined pulp, as you work it through the sieve using either a spoon of hands, then spread the refined pulp onto parchment, to around 2-3 mm thickness and allow to dry (appx hour), it is the consistency of 'fruit Leather' and can be cut into squares ... my kids liked it, we all do.

Ref Rosehips, I have made apple and rosehip jelly, apples are plentiful this time of year If I can get a few quinces these go in as well, then cook down, pass through muslin then reboil with sugar and check the 'set' ..... something good about fresh toast and homemade jellies (also use jellies for gravies if cooking up lamb/pork)

Sorry Stew I forgot this thread.

That’s an excellent post! I will definitely try the fruit leather.

Do you mean you eat raw rose hips? I kind of thought the itchy hairs inside would need to be separated.

Hi Chris,

I would treat the rose hips the same, they vary greatly on taste/texture so will grab one/two at a time and just nip the bud end off with my teeth, then crack it down the middle (teeth again) and then just use my thumb to push out the seeds. (don't overly worry about the internal hair follicles as these won't trouble you) Yes, perfectly Ok to eat raw. As are Haws.

Rose hips were collected as higher in vitamin C during the war years these were collected much like the mail sacks from remote railway stations on a semi automated system, I have some old pictures of these piled up awaiting collection.

[Chris Hammond]

I was out walking yesterday and passed bushes heaving with haw berries and rose hips. It seemed such a waste when you consider there are people in this world starving to death.

Anyway, I’ve made rose hip syrup in the past but I’m not keen on consuming that amount of sugar, so was wondering if any other foragers could suggest any other culinary uses for them? No not itching powder!)

I’m going to make ketchup with the haws. Has anybody on the forum made it or tried it?

Regarding the Haws Chris, go for a wander and try a few from each tree, it is amazing the difference in taste, including texture, also some are 'dry' some are more 'moist' (my partners fav word!)

Same on the rose hip, they vary greatly on taste, we always grab a few and eat them on walks, they go from bland to really sweet.

Ref Haws, grab a 1lb of the sweetest ones and put in a bowl add a small amount of water (couple of tablespoon no more) and knead these will pulp up and go into a brown paste(you lose the yellowness due to oxidisation, ignore this) keep working this with you hands (will clean hands and naturally condition the skin..a bonus) until you have broken down all the pulp, then pass through a fine sieve, whilst scraping the bottoming of the sieve and removing the fine refined pulp, as you work it through the sieve using either a spoon of hands, then spread the refined pulp onto parchment, to around 2-3 mm thickness and allow to dry (appx hour), it is the consistency of 'fruit Leather' and can be cut into squares ... my kids liked it, we all do.

Ref Rosehips, I have made apple and rosehip jelly, apples are plentiful this time of year If I can get a few quinces these go in as well, then cook down, pass through muslin then reboil with sugar and check the 'set' ..... something good about fresh toast and homemade jellies (also use jellies for gravies if cooking up lamb/pork)

Sorry Stew I forgot this thread.

That’s an excellent post! I will definitely try the fruit leather.

Do you mean you eat raw rose hips? I kind of thought the itchy hairs inside would need to be separated.

Hi Chris,

I would treat the rose hips the same, they vary greatly on taste/texture so will grab one/two at a time and just nip the bud end off with my teeth, then crack it down the middle (teeth again) and then just use my thumb to push out the seeds. (don't overly worry about the internal hair follicles as these won't trouble you) Yes, perfectly Ok to eat raw. As are Haws.

Rose hips were collected as higher in vitamin C during the war years these were collected much like the mail sacks from remote railway stations on a semi automated system, I have some old pictures of these piled up awaiting collection.

I’ve read that the hips have as much as twenty times as much vitamin c as oranges Stew?

I’ve just hulled the hips and I’m going to make some of the apple and rose hip jelly you mentioned over the weekend. I found several recipes online and it gets rave reviews as an accompaniment to meat and chicken. I might split the batch and put some heat in the mix. Cayenne pepper maybe or chillies. I love fruit chutneys and pickles to accompany curries.

I didn’t find the time to deal with either fruit during the week and the haws, which were a little over ripe anyway, are looking too far gone. I’ll put them out for the birds () and pick some more on Sunday -bearing in mind your advice about testing individual tree’s fruits for sweetness.

[Chris Hammond]

I got a bit carried away in the end. As Haywards have ceased making piccallili I thought I would have a crack myself and ended up making all of my usual Xmas stuff.

[Stewlaws]

I got a bit carried away in the end. As Haywards have ceased making piccallili I thought I would have a crack myself and ended up making all of my usual Xmas stuff.

Very good Chris, the Piccallili is always a better option homemade, I've done a christmas one before with fresh ginger and chillies, recently done preserved stem ginger in syrup fortified with kings ginger liquer, add this chopped to a pear n ginger icecream we make using frozen bananas and double cream. No wonder my heart is niggling me!

Great thing about pickles is the combination you can use, poetic licence to use those spices beyond a curry.

[Chris Hammond]

I got a bit carried away in the end. As Haywards have ceased making piccallili I thought I would have a crack myself and ended up making all of my usual Xmas stuff.

Very good Chris, the Piccallili is always a better option homemade, I've done a christmas one before with fresh ginger and chillies, recently done preserved stem ginger in syrup fortified with kings ginger liquer, add this chopped to a pear n ginger icecream we make using frozen bananas and double cream. No wonder my heart is niggling me!

Great thing about pickles is the combination you can use, poetic licence to use those spices beyond a curry.

I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed the process Stew.

The haws were a bit gone over so that will be a project for next autumn, but I was bowled over with how good the apple and rose hip jelly is! I did a couple of batches, adding chilli and ginger to one lot and just the root ginger to the other.

One thing that eluded me was that my jelly is ever so slightly cloudy. I bought a really fine straining bag which meant waiting 24 hours for it to filter through. Even so, as you can see in my picture, it isn’t absolutely clear. The recipe I used had pics with it and the jelly looked crystal clear. Doesn’t affect the taste though. Absolutely delicious!

[Stewlaws]

I got a bit carried away in the end. As Haywards have ceased making piccallili I thought I would have a crack myself and ended up making all of my usual Xmas stuff.

Very good Chris, the Piccallili is always a better option homemade, I've done a christmas one before with fresh ginger and chillies, recently done preserved stem ginger in syrup fortified with kings ginger liquer, add this chopped to a pear n ginger icecream we make using frozen bananas and double cream. No wonder my heart is niggling me!

Great thing about pickles is the combination you can use, poetic licence to use those spices beyond a curry.

I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed the process Stew.

The haws were a bit gone over so that will be a project for next autumn, but I was bowled over with how good the apple and rose hip jelly is! I did a couple of batches, adding chilli and ginger to one lot and just the root ginger to the other.

One thing that eluded me was that my jelly is ever so slightly cloudy. I bought a really fine straining bag which meant waiting 24 hours for it to filter through. Even so, as you can see in my picture, it isn’t absolutely clear. The recipe I used had pics with it and the jelly looked crystal clear. Doesn’t affect the taste though. Absolutely delicious!

Don't be tempted to squeeze the muslin bag, and another thing is add a walnut size knob of butter once you add the sugar, then spoon off any 'scum' this will help with clarity

[Stewlaws]

I got a bit carried away in the end. As Haywards have ceased making piccallili I thought I would have a crack myself and ended up making all of my usual Xmas stuff.

Very good Chris, the Piccallili is always a better option homemade, I've done a christmas one before with fresh ginger and chillies, recently done preserved stem ginger in syrup fortified with kings ginger liquer, add this chopped to a pear n ginger icecream we make using frozen bananas and double cream. No wonder my heart is niggling me!

Great thing about pickles is the combination you can use, poetic licence to use those spices beyond a curry.

I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed the process Stew.

The haws were a bit gone over so that will be a project for next autumn, but I was bowled over with how good the apple and rose hip jelly is! I did a couple of batches, adding chilli and ginger to one lot and just the root ginger to the other.

One thing that eluded me was that my jelly is ever so slightly cloudy. I bought a really fine straining bag which meant waiting 24 hours for it to filter through. Even so, as you can see in my picture, it isn’t absolutely clear. The recipe I used had pics with it and the jelly looked crystal clear. Doesn’t affect the taste though. Absolutely delicious!

Another thing that is good for excess apples is finely chopping Rosemary,Sage, Mint etc and using it as a base for gravies (Think Lamb,pork or venison) I would make the jellie and mix in after with large quantities of herbs, go careful with sage as too much can be 'Soapy' tasting.

[Chris Hammond]

I got a bit carried away in the end. As Haywards have ceased making piccallili I thought I would have a crack myself and ended up making all of my usual Xmas stuff.

Very good Chris, the Piccallili is always a better option homemade, I've done a christmas one before with fresh ginger and chillies, recently done preserved stem ginger in syrup fortified with kings ginger liquer, add this chopped to a pear n ginger icecream we make using frozen bananas and double cream. No wonder my heart is niggling me!

Great thing about pickles is the combination you can use, poetic licence to use those spices beyond a curry.

I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed the process Stew.

The haws were a bit gone over so that will be a project for next autumn, but I was bowled over with how good the apple and rose hip jelly is! I did a couple of batches, adding chilli and ginger to one lot and just the root ginger to the other.

One thing that eluded me was that my jelly is ever so slightly cloudy. I bought a really fine straining bag which meant waiting 24 hours for it to filter through. Even so, as you can see in my picture, it isn’t absolutely clear. The recipe I used had pics with it and the jelly looked crystal clear. Doesn’t affect the taste though. Absolutely delicious!

Don't be tempted to squeeze the muslin bag, and another thing is add a walnut size knob of butter once you add the sugar, then spoon off any 'scum' this will help with clarity

I’m pretty sure I didn’t squeeze the bag but, as I was making micro batches I might have inadvertently.

[Stewlaws]

I got a bit carried away in the end. As Haywards have ceased making piccallili I thought I would have a crack myself and ended up making all of my usual Xmas stuff.

Very good Chris, the Piccallili is always a better option homemade, I've done a christmas one before with fresh ginger and chillies, recently done preserved stem ginger in syrup fortified with kings ginger liquer, add this chopped to a pear n ginger icecream we make using frozen bananas and double cream. No wonder my heart is niggling me!

Great thing about pickles is the combination you can use, poetic licence to use those spices beyond a curry.

I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed the process Stew.

The haws were a bit gone over so that will be a project for next autumn, but I was bowled over with how good the apple and rose hip jelly is! I did a couple of batches, adding chilli and ginger to one lot and just the root ginger to the other.

One thing that eluded me was that my jelly is ever so slightly cloudy. I bought a really fine straining bag which meant waiting 24 hours for it to filter through. Even so, as you can see in my picture, it isn’t absolutely clear. The recipe I used had pics with it and the jelly looked crystal clear. Doesn’t affect the taste though. Absolutely delicious!

Don't be tempted to squeeze the muslin bag, and another thing is add a walnut size knob of butter once you add the sugar, then spoon off any 'scum' this will help with clarity

I’m pretty sure I didn’t squeeze the bag but, as I was making micro batches I might have inadvertently.

Unless you are submitting these to a WI event Chris (these women are like steroid induced Mary Berry's when in critique mode) I wouldn't overly worry ref cloudy. I normally use the last pot poured as the first to use,any sediment is usually contained.Then any given away are in tip top.

[Chris Hammond]

I got a bit carried away in the end. As Haywards have ceased making piccallili I thought I would have a crack myself and ended up making all of my usual Xmas stuff.

Very good Chris, the Piccallili is always a better option homemade, I've done a christmas one before with fresh ginger and chillies, recently done preserved stem ginger in syrup fortified with kings ginger liquer, add this chopped to a pear n ginger icecream we make using frozen bananas and double cream. No wonder my heart is niggling me!

Great thing about pickles is the combination you can use, poetic licence to use those spices beyond a curry.

I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed the process Stew.

The haws were a bit gone over so that will be a project for next autumn, but I was bowled over with how good the apple and rose hip jelly is! I did a couple of batches, adding chilli and ginger to one lot and just the root ginger to the other.

One thing that eluded me was that my jelly is ever so slightly cloudy. I bought a really fine straining bag which meant waiting 24 hours for it to filter through. Even so, as you can see in my picture, it isn’t absolutely clear. The recipe I used had pics with it and the jelly looked crystal clear. Doesn’t affect the taste though. Absolutely delicious!

Don't be tempted to squeeze the muslin bag, and another thing is add a walnut size knob of butter once you add the sugar, then spoon off any 'scum' this will help with clarity

I’m pretty sure I didn’t squeeze the bag but, as I was making micro batches I might have inadvertently.

Unless you are submitting these to a WI event Chris (these women are like steroid induced Mary Berry's when in critique mode) I wouldn't overly worry ref cloudy. I normally use the last pot poured as the first to use,any sediment is usually contained.Then any given away are in tip top.

Jam and Jerusalem Stew.

You’re right, it has zero affect on the taste. It’s superb jam (jelly)

[andrew_nagel]

My wife is a proper forager. She makes elderflower cordial every summer from flowers gathered in the local forest. Black current jam from bushes in the garden. Preserves figs from the garden in rum and sugar to have as a desert. Apple trees are very common in Denmark, both in gardens and wild. Most people don't use them so my wife collects them and makes both cider and presses apple juice which she freezes. On the subject of ketchup, she uses the tomatoes that don't ripen for that. I get looked after well.
(round and happy - face)

[Stewlaws]

My wife is a proper forager. She makes elderflower cordial every summer from flowers gathered in the local forest. Black current jam from bushes in the garden. Preserves figs from the garden in rum and sugar to have as a desert. Apple trees are very common in Denmark, both in gardens and wild. Most people don't use them so my wife collects them and makes both cider and presses apple juice which she freezes. On the subject of ketchup, she uses the tomatoes that don't ripen for that. I get looked after well.
(round and happy - face)

Western style worlds with the likes of Walmart/Tesco's/Aldi et al produce food relatively bountiful, dare I say it cheaply and one that transcends seasonality.

I have several books from the 40's 50's and 60's with an array of recipes for preserving,pickling and laying down excess/surplus food grown or picked, I fail to understand a shop bought jar of jam which reads like a shopping list, when homemade jam is purely fruit/sugar.
Years gone by, everyone would of been better equipped to be sustainable, if Tesco's was subject to no deliveries within 48hrs there would be civil panic gripping us, meanwhile, Hammy and Mrs Nagel would be reaching for the store cupboard!

[andrew_nagel]

I have several books from the 40's 50's and 60's with an array of recipes for preserving,pickling and laying down excess/surplus food grown or picked...

Oh aye... she's into pickling stuff and making chutney too. Uses the chicken and duck carcasses to make stock. Doesn't let much go to waste and never a dull meal.
(diamond - face)

[Chris Hammond]

My wife is a proper forager. She makes elderflower cordial every summer from flowers gathered in the local forest. Black current jam from bushes in the garden. Preserves figs from the garden in rum and sugar to have as a desert. Apple trees are very common in Denmark, both in gardens and wild. Most people don't use them so my wife collects them and makes both cider and presses apple juice which she freezes. On the subject of ketchup, she uses the tomatoes that don't ripen for that. I get looked after well.
(round and happy - face)

I don’t think I’ve ever tried Elder flower cordial, but just the name sounds refreshing.

Thanks for the idea Andrew. I will definitely be knocking some up next summer.

[Chris Hammond]

The home made Christmas is growing. I’ve added picked eggs, shallots and onions and made some Indian style line pickle at the weekend.

[andrew_nagel]

I don’t think I’ve ever tried Elder flower cordial, but just the name sounds refreshing.

Thanks for the idea Andrew. I will definitely be knocking some up next summer.

It's become the taste of summer for me! It's so tasty. I'll can ask Inge for her recipe if you'd like it? You can use it as a soft drink cordial or mix it with white wine or bubbles if you want a bit of a summer afternoon buzz.

[Stewlaws]

My wife is a proper forager. She makes elderflower cordial every summer from flowers gathered in the local forest. Black current jam from bushes in the garden. Preserves figs from the garden in rum and sugar to have as a desert. Apple trees are very common in Denmark, both in gardens and wild. Most people don't use them so my wife collects them and makes both cider and presses apple juice which she freezes. On the subject of ketchup, she uses the tomatoes that don't ripen for that. I get looked after well.
(round and happy - face)

I don’t think I’ve ever tried Elder flower cordial, but just the name sounds refreshing.

Thanks for the idea Andrew. I will definitely be knocking some up next summer.

Could also use meadowsweet, in the same principle, though I prefer elderflower over meadowsweet. (Pick fresh and not when flowers are on the turn, give the heads a good shake as they can contain bugs aplenty- I don't wash but happy to skim bugs off and let the filtering do its part)

[Chris Hammond]

I don’t think I’ve ever tried Elder flower cordial, but just the name sounds refreshing.

Thanks for the idea Andrew. I will definitely be knocking some up next summer.

It's become the taste of summer for me! It's so tasty. I'll can ask Inge for her recipe if you'd like it? You can use it as a soft drink cordial or mix it with white wine or bubbles if you want a bit of a summer afternoon buzz.

Yes please Andrew.

[Chris Hammond]

My wife is a proper forager. She makes elderflower cordial every summer from flowers gathered in the local forest. Black current jam from bushes in the garden. Preserves figs from the garden in rum and sugar to have as a desert. Apple trees are very common in Denmark, both in gardens and wild. Most people don't use them so my wife collects them and makes both cider and presses apple juice which she freezes. On the subject of ketchup, she uses the tomatoes that don't ripen for that. I get looked after well.
(round and happy - face)

I don’t think I’ve ever tried Elder flower cordial, but just the name sounds refreshing.

Thanks for the idea Andrew. I will definitely be knocking some up next summer.

Could also use meadowsweet, in the same principle, though I prefer elderflower over meadowsweet. (Pick fresh and not when flowers are on the turn, give the heads a good shake as they can contain bugs aplenty- I don't wash but happy to skim bugs off and let the filtering do its part)

I can’t remember the last time I came across meadowsweet. Possibly my favourite wildflower perfume of them all I think.

I will find some next summer and give that a try Stew.

[andrew_nagel]

I don’t think I’ve ever tried Elder flower cordial, but just the name sounds refreshing.

Thanks for the idea Andrew. I will definitely be knocking some up next summer.

It's become the taste of summer for me! It's so tasty. I'll can ask Inge for her recipe if you'd like it? You can use it as a soft drink cordial or mix it with white wine or bubbles if you want a bit of a summer afternoon buzz.

Yes please Andrew.

Elder Flower Cordial:

20 elder flower blossoms.
2 dessert spoons of citric acid.
1 kg sugar.
Juice and peel of 2 organic lemons.
1 litre of water.
Adequate jam preserver per litre (or you can just freeze it or drink it right away).

Inge usually makes several litres multiplying the quantities to suit. Boil the water and sugar until it’s dissolved. Add all other ingredients and turn off the heat. Put a lid on the pan and leave to stand in a cold place for 4 – 5 days. Filter when bottling. Inge doesn’t wash the flowers before making it as any insects are getting boiled and filtered. Without the jam preserver it keeps for about a week in the fridge. Alternatively, you can freeze it. With preserver you can bottle it and keep in a cool cupboard/shed throughout the winter.

Dilute to taste when serving. Remember ice cubes. Great as cordial, even better with gin or white wine. If you are inviting a lady to partake add a few sliced strawberries for showmanship!

Another thing you can do with the elder flowers is to dip them in pancake dough and deep fry them in a shallow pan of oil while holding the stems. Eat with icing sugar.

[Chris Hammond]

I don’t think I’ve ever tried Elder flower cordial, but just the name sounds refreshing.

Thanks for the idea Andrew. I will definitely be knocking some up next summer.

It's become the taste of summer for me! It's so tasty. I'll can ask Inge for her recipe if you'd like it? You can use it as a soft drink cordial or mix it with white wine or bubbles if you want a bit of a summer afternoon buzz.

Yes please Andrew.

Elder Flower Cordial:

20 elder flower blossoms.
2 dessert spoons of citric acid.
1 kg sugar.
Juice and peel of 2 organic lemons.
1 litre of water.
Adequate jam preserver per litre (or you can just freeze it or drink it right away).

Inge usually makes several litres multiplying the quantities to suit. Boil the water and sugar until it’s dissolved. Add all other ingredients and turn off the heat. Put a lid on the pan and leave to stand in a cold place for 4 – 5 days. Filter when bottling. Inge doesn’t wash the flowers before making it as any insects are getting boiled and filtered. Without the jam preserver it keeps for about a week in the fridge. Alternatively, you can freeze it. With preserver you can bottle it and keep in a cool cupboard/shed throughout the winter.

Dilute to taste when serving. Remember ice cubes. Great as cordial, even better with gin or white wine. If you are inviting a lady to partake add a few sliced strawberries for showmanship!

Another thing you can do with the elder flowers is to dip them in pancake dough and deep fry them in a shallow pan of oil while holding the stems. Eat with icing sugar.

That’s great thanks Andrew!

I’m not sure what ‘jam preserver’ is though? I’ve tried sourcing some online but can’t seem to find it.

[andrew_nagel]

I google translated the Danish product name and it gave me “jam preserver”.
The branded product is called “Atamon”. It’s a liquid preserver that’s been in common use since the 30’s and is very well known in Denmark. It’s one of those products that get described by the brand name rather that the product itself, such as hoover, coke or WD40.
Try googling “Atamon”. I’d imagine you can buy it in the baking section of supermarkets. Here’s an article that describes it.
https://greenhouseforum.com/blog/2017/a ... o-preserve

[andrew_nagel]

Here you go:
https://www.scandikitchen.co.uk/product ... uid-250ml/

[Chris Hammond]

Here you go:
https://www.scandikitchen.co.uk/product ... uid-250ml/

Thanks Andrew I’ll see if I can track some down.

[andrew_nagel]

Update Chris... Now that Inge is on holiday and making stuff in the Kitchen she's been briefing me more on how she uses the Atamon. She says it's not particularly healthy E number-wise so she limits its use. When making jams, pickles, chutney etc she takes a bowl with about half a litre of boiled water and adds 5 teaspoons of Atamon to the water. This is used to rinse the clean empty jars before and lids before filling. She drains the rinsed jars upside down on a tea towel, then adds the hot jam and wipes a finger wetted in the rinsing solution around the rim of the jar and fits the lid. If she's out of Atamon she'll use cheap neat vodka instead for rinsing, but she reckons the Atamon is best. They go in our cool insulated shed for storage until use. She rinses the juice bottles in the same way if she's bottling it. In recent years she's taken to freezing juices in a freezer bag stood inside a used milk carton. The carton makes filling easy and they fit more efficiently in the freezer. When freezing juices she doesn't use any Atamon at all.