Elderflower blossom is just perfect for picking at the moment.  Picking is best done on a sunny morning, when the blossom is fresh and the fragrance is at it's peak.  Only pick flower heads that are freshly opened, there will be a later crop of elderberries on the ones that have gone over. 

Nothing goes to waste in nature.

You will need...

Sterilised bottles with tight fitting caps.

A large saucepan, bowl and sieve

Muslin to cover and drain

Wooden Spoon

Ingredients:

40 Elderflower heads (unpolluted - picked away from traffic and agricultural land where sprays may have been used)

2 litres of Fresh Spring Water

2.5 kg Granulated Sugar

75 gms Citric Acid (available from pharmacists)

5 Unwaxed Lemons

Method:

Boil the water and add the sugar, stirring occasionally as it heats to help it dissolve.

Shake the flower heads to dislodge any insects and place them in a large bowl.

Pare wide strips of rind off the lemons and slice, add to elderflower heads.

When the sugar is completely dissolved remove from heat and pour over the lemons and flower heads, stir in the citric acid. Cover with muslin and stand at room temperature for at least 24 hours to allow it infuse.

Essential for a Good Elderflower Cordial:

During the standing period - lift the muslin, take a quick peek and a deep breath - enjoy! Re-cover.

Drain and Bottle:

Line a large sieve with the muslin, pour the infusion through and bottle the liquid.

This cordial captures the essence of summer and will hold for a year at least.

Use:

Enjoy the summer with each glass, diluted at approx 5:1 or to taste.

The cordial will only be as good as the ingredients used so only use freshly picked unpolluted flower heads.

As Summer gives of her bounty there's abundance.  Some is gathered and preserved, the remainder is left to nature.

I'll bottle what is probably the last batch of Elderflower Cordial this evening and will make a conserve from the fruit which is left over after the bottling.

Using the Fruit

The last couple of batches of cordial left me with enough fruit to fill 12 pots with Elderflower, Lemon & Lime Conserve. This is the first time I've used the fruit is this way and it produces a beautifully light summery taste.  It's more difficult to get it to set than if I was using fruit specially prepared for the conserve rather than left-over fruit from the cordial.  I use granulated sugar only, as I prefer the softer consistency of homemade preserves.

Making the Conserve

Strain and bottle the cordial, weigh the remaining fruit adding some limes for extra flavour and boil for nearly two hours until the rind is soft. Add the elderflower in a muslin bag for about 15~20 mins at the jam making stage.  Less sugar is needed as the fruit is already quite sweet having been sitting in the cordial for a couple of days.  Check for sweetness before boiling to setting point and add more sugar if required.

Recipe

I've adapted a very simple recipe for marmalade from Darina Allen's 'Forgotten Skills of Cooking' to make the conserve.

Ingredients:

4.5 lbs fruit

9 lbs sugar - (I half the sugar when using fruit from the cordial)

9 pts water

Method:

Bring water and fruit the the boil, reduce by half or better still two thirds.

Add warm sugar stirring over a brisk heat until dissolved.  Boil fast until setting point is reached, skimming once towards the end.

Pot into sterilised jars and cover immediately.

Enjoy 'Summer in a Jar' on your morning toast!!

Abundance

Giving preserves as gifts when visiting is a great joy and it's impossible to run out as it seems more comes back than is given. The only shortage at this time of year is bottles and glass jars.  No matter how many we collect during the year, nature provides us with more than we can use.

Moon Gardening or planting by the phases of the moon is a permaculture practice to avail of the gravitational pull of the moon on the Earth's water.

Let the 'Force' be with You

Grafting and planting seeds and seedlings of plants that grow above ground is best done at the 'Full' phase, which draws water to the surface of the ground.  The best time to plant roots and bulbs is at the 'New' phase when the water  and sap are drawn down.

We haven't done this as yet, we're lucky to get these tasks done at any time, there is so much that requires attention at this very early stage of converting to permaculture methods.

Yet, whether we avail of her power or not, the Moon continues to appear in her fullness to illuminate the Earth and fascinate us each month.

It was a ritual in my father's time to walk the farm on May Eve with a bottle of Easter Water - that is water that had been blessed during Easter to make it 'Holy'.  This was sprinkled in the four corners of the farm, in the gaps, and on the animals, using a palm branch, which had been blessed on Palm Sunday, to keep them safe for the coming year. It kept away the fairies who would take the cream off the milk and therefore the profits for the year.

Irish Superstitions

I really don't know if my father actually believed these piseogs (Irish superstitions) but if he didn't, he wasn't taking any chances.  He performed this ritual each May Eve. 

Evening Walk

This was a lovely evening to walk around Our Smallholding, checking on the poultry and animals as I did so. Little Nefi, the Nubian goat had broken back out of her paddock for the third time today, through electric fencing and over chain link fencing.  I'm becoming convinced that nothing will stop this lady from going where-ever she wants to go!

Sunset

The sun was an immense ball of glowing orange/red as it sank below the horizon this evening while the last few birds made their way home to roost for the night.