A Wonderful Thirst Quencher On A Hot Day.

Note: Elderberries should not be eaten raw. All parts of the plant contain small amounts of the toxin hydrocyanic acid which is completely destroyed by ordinary cooking.

Four Elderflower recipes from my friend Lyle Frink

Elderflower lemonade is remarkable. On a hot day, it cuts the thirst with the direct lemon taste, leaving the afterthought of elderflowers. Conversely, on a cool day, it is bland and forgettable. Ah, but when it is hot outside... It is reported to be very healthy too, but I will make no claims- other than it can be wonderful.

I have collected four recipes so far. The first two are for lemonade which should be consumed in a few days and the remaining are for a syrup with which lemonade can be made for later consumption.

Lyle.

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I put the recipes in a table to make comparison easier. As you can see, there is a basic similarity between the proportions in all of the recipes. There are also the unanswered questions of "what constitutes a big flower?" and "are these spoons to be for soup or tea, and filled level or heaped?" All four recipes are from my Czech teacher, she uses the third.

The flowers are to gathered away from polluted roads and industrial sites. This is because the flowers absorb pollutants and diesel dust. It also gives one an excuse for a long walk in the woods. No leaves should be included and the bugs should be washed off.

Boil the desired amounts of water in a large pot. (This may have something to do with chlorine or micro-organisms). Afterwards, let the water cool.

With the syrup recipes, I use a large 5 litre glass jar. Filling it full of flowers, and pressing down slightly, I then hope that I have picked the correct amount of flowers. The sliced lemons (no seeds please) are mixed in with the flowers. The water should just cover the flowers. Except for the last recipe, the citric acid is added along with the water to the jar. It acts both as a tartening agent and as a preservative.

The filled jar then sits on the window still. This is as close to sun tea as you will find in the Czech Republic. In addition to covering the jar with a clean cloth, you will probably want to fish out the bugs that escaped your initial cleaning efforts.

In a day or so, bring out the spaghetti sieve, a clean handkerchief, and a pot. Use the first two objects as a filter and pour the liquid on through to the pot below. I also like to squeeze the liquid out of the wet mound of flowers and lemon slices. Add the sugar and citric acid. The lemonade recipes are ready to drink. For the syrup recipes, the sugary liquid should stirred while brought to a brief boil.

The syrup is to be stored in dark bottles in a dark and cool place. My first batch was sufficiently sterilized, the second batch has begun to ferment slightly.

To drink, put a lemon slice in a glass, add a half inch or syrup, and pour in a high quality water. Ah......