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
Ingredients
150g basmati rice
1.25 litres full-fat milk (or coconut milk if vegan)
8 green cardamom pods, cracked to open
finely grated zest and juice of 2 blood oranges
100ml elderflower cordial
60g roasted pistachio kernels, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve
fresh elderflower heads, to garnish
Elderflower oranges
3 blood oranges
3 tbsp elderflower cordial
1 tbsp finely sliced mint leaves
Method
First prepare the rice. Rinse the rice in a sieve with cold water until it runs clear. Transfer the rice to a medium bowl, cover with cold water, soak the rice for 30 minutes, then drain.Â
As the rice soaks, prepare the elderflower oranges. Finely grate the zest from one blood orange into a medium bowl. Cut the skin off the three oranges, removing the outer pith with it, and then cut out the segments, leaving behind the inner pith and membranes (do this over the bowl with the zest to collect the juices). Add the orange segments to the bowl, along with the elderflower cordial and sliced mint. Toss to coat and set aside to allow the flavours to amalgamate.
To make the kheer, place the milk, cardamom pods, blood orange zest and juice in a medium-large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the drained rice and simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring often to prevent the milk from scalding at the bottom of the pan, until the rice is very tender (you should be able to almost mash the grains) and the milk is slightly thickened and creamy. Remove from the heat and stir through the elderflower cordial and chopped pistachios. Leave to cool for 10 minutes at room temperature - the kheer will thicken further as it cools.
Serve the kheer slightly warm or at room temperature, topped with the elderflower oranges, a sprinkling of roasted pistachios and fresh elderflowers, to garnish. Refrigerate any leftover kheer in an airtight container. The kheer can also be served chilled, if desired.
I hope you’re now feeling well-inspired to head out into your local wilderness to harvest spring’s white-gold crowning glory!! Scroll down for another top notch elderflower recipe and some music ideas to perhaps add to your frolicking playlist lol.
Much love,
Alby xx
This week’s MOOD BOOSTER:
Elderflower, pistachio & coriander seed cake
Who doesn’t love a Bundt cake? This vegan number is made extra moist by the elderflower soaking syrup brushed over the cake after baking. It’s aromatic, nutty, floral and perfect for a spring afternoon tea.
makes one 25cm Bundt cake
Ingredients:
Cake batter
300ml soy milk
30ml lemon juice
250g caster sugar
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
150ml canola oil
75ml elderflower & coriander seed cordial
275g plain flour
150g ground pistachios
2 tsp ground coriander
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp sea salt
Soaking syrup
50ml elderflower & coriander seed cordial
25ml lemon juice
Glaze
100g icing sugar, sifted
2 tbsp elderflower & coriander seed cordial
1 tbsp lemon juice
To decorate
1 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted and roughly crushed
50g roasted pistachios, roughly chopped
fresh elderflowers
Method:
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-forced (or 180°C conventional). Lightly grease the base and sides of a 25cm round Bundt tin with oil and dust very lightly with flour - to prevent the cake from sticking to the pan.
To make the cake, in a large bowl, whisk together the soy milk and lemon juice. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the milk to curdle a little. In a bowl, rub the lemon zest into the sugar until fragrant. Add the lemon sugar, oil and cordial to the milk and whisk to combine. Sift together the flour, ground pistachios, ground coriander, baking powder, baking soda and salt into the wet ingredients. Fold together until smooth and no specks of flour remain. Spoon the batter evenly into the greased Bundt tin and smooth the top. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes.
To make the soaking syrup, in a bowl, whisk together the cordial and lemon juice until combined. After 10 minutes cooling in the tin, turn the cake out onto a wire rack and brush all of the soaking syrup generously over the cake. Leave to cool completely while you make the glaze.
For the glaze, in a bowl, whisk together the icing sugar, cordial and lemon juice to form a smooth, thick-yet-pourable glaze. Drizzle the glaze evenly over the cooled Bundt. Sprinkle evenly with the crushed coriander seeds and pistachios, then finish with elderflowers. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Best of the season this fortnight (NZ):
Broad beans
Brassicas
Spinach, Salad Greens
Asparagus
Elderflowers
Blood oranges
Avocados
Last of the onion Weed
Early strawberries & blueberries
Early capsicums
Early aubergines
Kitchen music of the moment:
It’s not often that you get to go to back-to-back gigs from two of your favourite artists, let alone on a Monday and Tuesday night in South Island, New Zealand, but that was me last week! I’ve been a long time fan of The Chicks from a young age, their album ‘Home’ being part of my childhood soundtrack (as introduced by my Mum). They rocked a sold out arena in Ōtautahi/Christchurch last Monday, but I was also mightily impressed by their opening act Elle King. You’ll likely be familiar with her hit single from a few years back, Ex’s & Oh’s (is it just me or does she sound a lot like Gin Wigmore on that track), but this past week I’ve been digging another of her tunes, America’s Sweetheart… see what you think.
From global superstars in a stadium setting, Tuesday night saw us cuddled into the Carey’s Bay Hotel in Port Chalmers for an intimate performance by local musician Nadia Reid, as a part of a short NZ tour at small regional venues (halls, hotels, churches - she even played in Kakanui!!) before she moves over to London. Playing pregnant no less, she wowed as always (and announced that she has a new album coming out mid-next year!). If you’re new to her music, the track below is a good one to start with.
Interesting reads:
Is a morning lemon water actually good for your health?
More elderflower advice from well known NZ herbalist Jane Wrigglesworth
Elderflower info for the history buffs out there
A song to sing while frolicking for those elderflowers
Access to food is a universal human right. Two ways to support those in Gaza amidst the Palestine humanitarian emergency.
