It's Time! Harvesting and Drying Elderflowers

Elderflowers have a long history of medicinal and culinary use; in fact there is even a recipe for

Elderflower Fritters from a cookbook entitled Opera dell’arte del cucinare written by chef Bartolomeo

Scappi in 1570.

Elderflowers were used by many cultures throughout the world for thousands of years

before that, too. Elderflowers have long been prized for their heady aroma and unique flavor, best

described as floral with notes of vanilla, butter and pepper. Used in cordials and syrups, compotes, wine

and beer, and even in fritters, elderflower infuses the recipe with its scent, turning perfume into flavor.

Medicinally, elderflowers have been used by traditional cultures to break fevers, loosen lung congestion,

alleviate hay fever, and as antiseptic washes.

It's the season for Harvesting Elderflowers. For Harvesting Elderflowers, all you need is a pair of good clippers, a bag, and a nice sunny day to harvest your own elderflowers.

Start with your oldest plants

Older, established plants flower first. The bright green new shoots, known as "primacanes" will be the last to flower, often sporting one huge flower head per cane, unlike their older relatives which tend to produce multiple clusters of smaller heads. Select flower heads that have just opened and have few to no dark spots. Snip off the flower head about 4 to 6 inches below the flower, shake it gently to remove any insects and place it gently in your bag.

Elderflowers are tender things and quickly perish, so plan to work your elderflowers into a recipe that afternoon. One easy way to preserve your elderflowers for use in a wide variety of recipes is to make an elderflower syrup. You can also try your hand at elderflower fritters, or a pectin-less strawberry-elderflower jam.

Alternatively, you can dry your elderflowers to preserve them. You can dry elderflowers indoors on window screens supported by kitchen chairs. Simply lay a screen horizontally, resting one end of the screen on the seat of a chair, and resting the other end of the screen on a second chair seat. Lay the flowers flat on the screen ensuring that each flower has plenty of room to allow air to flow around it.

Allow the flowers to air dry for several days, turning them periodically (2 or 3 times) to ensure even drying. Once the flowers are dried you can remove them from their stems simply by rubbing the dried flower heads between your fingers. Be sure do so over a bowl to catch the petals. Discard the stems, and store the dried flowers in sealed paper bag in a dark location. Dried flowers can be used in teas, tinctures, syrups, Beignets, cakes, compotes...the opportunities are endless. For more tips, check out this article from fellow UK gardeners.

OK, it is a lot of work. You could just order dried elderflowers here online. FREE with your Norm's Farms Pure Elderberry Extract or Elderberry Wellness Syrup order!