elderflower: spring's white-gold crowning glory
how to forage, frolic, fashion and feast on the floral goodness
The high point of spring is undoubtedly elderflower season. Nothing makes you feel more optimistic than the brightness of an elderflower drink, its fresh, floral sweetness, almost lychee-like in taste, is a chorus of joy to the palate.
As I spoke to in a previous onion weed-related newsletter, my inner forager has been awoken in the past 18 months, and I’ve been chomping at the bit for the elderflowers to present themselves; flashes of white speckled amongst the thick foliage of my city’s local green spaces (aka the Ōtepoti/Dunedin town belt).
Elderflower has rarely gone out of fashion, but it’s certainly had a moment in recent times, in no small part thanks to its inclusion in this royal wedding centrepiece a few years back. To fully harness its powers, the long proven method is to infuse the fresh flowers in liquid, usually sweetened to create an elderflower cordial, which can then be added to tonics, beverages and bakes. When I was younger I remember my Mum making elderflower cordial on occasion, but it’s something I’ve surprisingly never attempted of my own volition - and after making it this spring I cry tears for the years of potential elderflower-making now lost on me. I think it will now be a yearly tradition.
While I’m sure most of you are familiar with elderflower, and have hopefully tasted it before (perhaps in a cheeky cocktail or two), you may be less familiar with how to identify it in the wild and forage it of your own accord. So I thought it prudent to shed some light on how to forage elderflowers.
An amateur’s guide to foraging elderflower
How do I identify elderflowers? Elderflowers are from the elder plant, a deciduous small tree, native to Europe, North Africa & parts of Asia. It grows well in temperate climates like Aotearoa, and wild elder trees are now commonplace across the motu. To identify, the flowers are clumped together in clusters/heads, small white-gold flowers, each with five small white petals and five small golden stamens. The elder tree has sprigs with leaflets that each have 5 or 7 leaves (see underside of leaflet at the top of the picture below for reference).
Where can I find elder trees? They often grow on roadsides, in rural hedging, near waterways, or on the margins and edges of forests. While in Ōtautahi/Christchurch recently, they were prominent along the banks of some of the inner city motorways, and in Ōtepoti/Dunedin they are easily found in parts of the town belt. For those living in regional New Zealand, you’ll be surprised at how many you’ll see if you take yourself for a stroll around your neighbourhood.
When to harvest? Elderflowers are ready to harvest in mid-late spring, around late October/early November in Aotearoa. Harvest the flowers when the buds are fully bloomed and aromatic, bright white and gold in colour. Using sharp scissors, cut the elderflower heads at their base, avoiding any extra unnecessary stem.
I should also mention that the ripe berries of the elder tree are also edible, often used for medicinal purposes, but these are harvested in autumn.
And finally, I’d like to point out that frolicking is mandatory while gathering elderflowers - by frolic I mean to cavort, romp, or run around — to have fun!!
Now that you’re fully prepared to go out and forage for elderflowers in your own neck of the woods, let’s get to the fun part - how to cook with elderflower heads!
While there are recipes out there for all sorts of ways to use elderflowers - like elderflower fritters or elderflower vinegar - I thought I’d share a recipe for a versatile elderflower cordial: my favourite way to cook with elderflowers. This recipe makes a decent amount of cordial that keeps relatively well in the fridge for a month or two. If you wish to make it last further, you can add a little citric acid to the mix which will act as a preservative to increase its shelf life - it will however affect the flavour of the cordial, bringing added tanginess which I feel can take away from the elderflower taste a little.
Elderflower & coriander seed cordial
The secret ingredient in my elderflower cordial is toasted coriander seeds. These seeds have a natural citrus-like taste and aroma that I think complements elderflower wonderfully, albeit their presence here is very subtle. Feel free to leave these out if desired, or another great variation is to add some sliced fresh ginger to the mix when infusing, about 75g, to give the cordial some warmth.
Hands-on Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes (plus 1-2 days infusing time)
makes 1.5 - 2 litres
Ingredients
2 tbsp coriander seeds
30 elderflower heads, fully bloomed and freshly picked
2 lemons
1 orange
1.5L boiling water
1kg caster sugar
Method
In a frying pan over medium heat, toast the coriander seeds for a couple of minutes until deeply fragrant. Transfer the seeds to a large bowl. Gently rinse the elderflower heads to wash away any insects, and add to the bowl. Peel strips of zest from the lemons and orange into the pan, then slice the citrus in half, squeeze the juice from the citrus into the pan, then add the six juiced halves*. Pour over the boiling water and gently stir to muddle the flowers with the seeds and citrus. Ensure everything is fully submerged, then cover and set aside to infuse at room temperature for 24-36 hours.
Strain the infused liquid through a muslin cloth into a large saucepan, wrapping and squeezing the muslin to extract as much liquid as possible from the flowers and citrus. Discard the flowers, citrus and seeds. Add the caster sugar to the liquid and place over high heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium and rapid simmer for 5 minutes, stirring so the sugar fully dissolves. Remove from the heat and pour into sterilised bottles. Seal and once cooled, refrigerate. The cordial will keep well for up to 6 weeks.
*if wanting to improve the shelf life of the cordial (so it can be used in autumn/winter too), add 2 tbsp citric acid with the citrus juice. The flavour of the cordial will be slightly more tangy in flavour than when made without.
5 simple ways to use elderflower cordial
Serve cold with ice and soda water, about 1 part cordial: 5 parts soda water (or to desired taste)
Use as the simple syrup for your next mojito to give it a floral twist
Make elderflower spritz your drink of summer!
Freeze the elderflower cordial into ice cubes - this is a great way to make it last through the year, and just add an ice cube to a glass of soda water for a refreshing drink
Add 1 tbsp elderflower cordial for every 100ml of cream, and whip together to make a delicious elderflower cream - perfect for filling a sponge or serving with a lemon pudding/cake.
While elderflower cordial is often best enjoyed in its simplest form, unadulterated and sparkling with its own singular flavour, it can also be used symbiotically, lending itself well to compliment other ingredients to produce a sum greater than its parts. Citrus, spring greens (broad beans, rocket, peas, asparagus), aromatic spices (cardamom, saffron, coriander seed), autumn fruits (pear, apple) and savoury sharpness (Dijon mustard, vinegars) all love elderflower. I’ve had a lot of fun experimenting this week with a couple of recipes to share with you today (I’ve also created a savoury elderflower recipe that will be the star of my next newsletter - alongside broad beans, the next seasonal hero of the week). Let’s get into it!!
Elderflower & blood orange kheer (Indian rice pudding)
Not only are elderflowers abundant, but we’re also at the tail-end of blood orange season. I love love love the colour and flavour of this unique fruit, and it pairs wonderfully here with the creamy rice and floral tones. Feel free to use regular oranges if blood oranges are unavailable.
Hands-on Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
serves 4-6
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