Here is a cordial recipe for you - remember, if you don't like your cordial too sweet, you can add lemons and lemons and more lemons. Also - you can use Xylitol which is a natural sugar substitute, if you don't want the bad teeth and calories that sugar give you!
Enjoy!
This is what you will need... I am sure most of you will be able to think of great alternatives to all this paraphenalia, but it is all listed, in case you want to do it properly.
•35 fresh elder flower heads – always pick the sweet smelling ones (which tend to be a bit buttery in colour and which do not drop petals when shaken)
•2 oranges, rough sliced
•2 lemons, also rough sliced
•2oz tartaric or citric acid – we prefer citric which makes for a more lemony taste, but some of our friends like tartaric. You can buy either from a shop that sells winemaking stuff and you can get citric acid from your local chemist.
•3 pints boiling water
•3lb granulated sugar,
•1 Camden tablet per gallon of cordial (winemakers also use these, they kill the natural yeasts on the elder flowers and allow you to store the cordial for years without it going fizzy).
•Large plastic containers, big enough to hold your batch of cordial.
•Glass or food grade plastic bottles with airtight caps.
•A Siphon tube.
•J-cloths or wine filtering fabric.
•A large sieve
Here is what you do!
•Boil the water and dissolve the sugar in it. Allow it to cool properly.
•Add the orange and lemon slices to the cool sugar water.
•Stir in and make sure the tartaric or citric acid is dissolved.
•Add the elder flower heads.
•Cover it up with a lid or cloth (we like to use a 5 gallon (25 litre) home winemaking plastic barrels) and leave it for 48-72 hours.
•Strain the mixture and leave for another 48 hours.
•We then siphon it all to another container, leaving the sediment/dregs behind and then we add 1 crushed Camden tablet per gallon of cordial.
•Shake well, and then leave for 3-4 hours to settle.
•Bottle, leaving behind any more dregs.
•If you don’t want to use two large containers, then you will need to add a crushed Camden tablet at the rate of 1 per gallon (1/2 a tablet to a 4 pint milk container for example) and carefully siphon directly into that. Shake the bottle well after you have filled it and do the top up tightly. Shake it again an hour or two later to make sure the tablet has dissolved. It will then keep for ages – as in years.
Always use sterilised bottles:
•Microwave – 2-3 minutes should kill anything.
•Oven - put glass bottles into your cold oven. Run it up to about 140C, keep it there for 10-15 minutes and then leave it to cool.
•You can also use Milton or just boiling hot water
I have to say - I have never used a camden tablet and I have never siphoned anything (other than wine...but that is for another blog!)... but these directions are good. If you have a dishwasher you can sterilise your bottles in there.
For those of you who might like to make some elderflower champagne there is a great recipe below. Do not be tempted to use more elderflower heads than stated. I did this last year, and it meant that I over yeasted it and there were not enough bubbles. Also - DON'T put it in anything but plastic bottles... the glass ones will explode!
Elderflower champagne
Remember - you can do all sorts of things with elderflower cordial and champagne once you have made it - cakes and icecreams are the first that spring to mind and you can always decorate with a sprig of elderflower! My favourite is elderflower and lemon drizzle cake...I am seriously hoping Trish Kennedy will be reading this for inspiration on the next delightful lemon drizzle cake she will make for the woodland adventures!
Don't forget that we have the compost loo course coming up for only £40 for two days on 21st and 22nd May - there are a few places left. And, there are play schemes in May that will soon be booked up! So if you want to secure your place, make sure you email louise@woodlandplaycentre.co.uk to secure your booking.
•2 oranges, rough sliced
•2 lemons, also rough sliced
•2oz tartaric or citric acid – we prefer citric which makes for a more lemony taste, but some of our friends like tartaric. You can buy either from a shop that sells winemaking stuff and you can get citric acid from your local chemist.
•3 pints boiling water
•3lb granulated sugar,
•1 Camden tablet per gallon of cordial (winemakers also use these, they kill the natural yeasts on the elder flowers and allow you to store the cordial for years without it going fizzy).
•Large plastic containers, big enough to hold your batch of cordial.
•Glass or food grade plastic bottles with airtight caps.
•A Siphon tube.
•J-cloths or wine filtering fabric.
•A large sieve
Here is what you do!
•Boil the water and dissolve the sugar in it. Allow it to cool properly.
•Add the orange and lemon slices to the cool sugar water.
•Stir in and make sure the tartaric or citric acid is dissolved.
•Add the elder flower heads.
•Cover it up with a lid or cloth (we like to use a 5 gallon (25 litre) home winemaking plastic barrels) and leave it for 48-72 hours.
•Strain the mixture and leave for another 48 hours.
•We then siphon it all to another container, leaving the sediment/dregs behind and then we add 1 crushed Camden tablet per gallon of cordial.
•Shake well, and then leave for 3-4 hours to settle.
•Bottle, leaving behind any more dregs.
•If you don’t want to use two large containers, then you will need to add a crushed Camden tablet at the rate of 1 per gallon (1/2 a tablet to a 4 pint milk container for example) and carefully siphon directly into that. Shake the bottle well after you have filled it and do the top up tightly. Shake it again an hour or two later to make sure the tablet has dissolved. It will then keep for ages – as in years.
Always use sterilised bottles:
•Microwave – 2-3 minutes should kill anything.
•Oven - put glass bottles into your cold oven. Run it up to about 140C, keep it there for 10-15 minutes and then leave it to cool.
•You can also use Milton or just boiling hot water
I have to say - I have never used a camden tablet and I have never siphoned anything (other than wine...but that is for another blog!)... but these directions are good. If you have a dishwasher you can sterilise your bottles in there.
For those of you who might like to make some elderflower champagne there is a great recipe below. Do not be tempted to use more elderflower heads than stated. I did this last year, and it meant that I over yeasted it and there were not enough bubbles. Also - DON'T put it in anything but plastic bottles... the glass ones will explode!
Elderflower champagne
4 large heads of elder flowers (pick on dry sunny day, but do not wash)
juice & rind of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons white vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1.5 lbs granulated sugar
9 pints water
1. Place all ingredients in large container
2. Stir to dissolve sugar
3. Cover with cloth & leave 24 hours
4. Strain & pour into plastic sterile screw top bottles (don't use glass bottles)
5. Screw tops on tightly & leave somewhere warmish, so fizz/alcohol can develop
6. Release gases when plastic bottles bulge/topple
7. Drink from 3 weeks onwards
juice & rind of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons white vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1.5 lbs granulated sugar
9 pints water
1. Place all ingredients in large container
2. Stir to dissolve sugar
3. Cover with cloth & leave 24 hours
4. Strain & pour into plastic sterile screw top bottles (don't use glass bottles)
5. Screw tops on tightly & leave somewhere warmish, so fizz/alcohol can develop
6. Release gases when plastic bottles bulge/topple
7. Drink from 3 weeks onwards
Remember - you can do all sorts of things with elderflower cordial and champagne once you have made it - cakes and icecreams are the first that spring to mind and you can always decorate with a sprig of elderflower! My favourite is elderflower and lemon drizzle cake...I am seriously hoping Trish Kennedy will be reading this for inspiration on the next delightful lemon drizzle cake she will make for the woodland adventures!
Don't forget that we have the compost loo course coming up for only £40 for two days on 21st and 22nd May - there are a few places left. And, there are play schemes in May that will soon be booked up! So if you want to secure your place, make sure you email louise@woodlandplaycentre.co.uk to secure your booking.
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