May to mid- June is when elderflowers are ready. They’re best picked when the buds are freshly open on a warm, dry, sunny day, well away from traffic fumes. Give them a shake and then rinse with cold water.
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How do you dry elderflower heads?
To make tea whenever I’m craving it and to preserve the elderflowers beyond their season, I like to dry them. It wouldn’t be difficult to Drying elderflowers. Just spread the blooms out on paper or kitchen towels und leave to dry in a warm, dry and shady spot until they are crispy dry.
You can store them in the fridge for up to a week. Elderflower tea can be enjoyed hot or iced. I prefer to drink it hot, but if you prefer it cold, you can add a few drops of honey to the tea to sweeten it up a bit.
Which part of elderflower is poisonous?
The leaves, stems and unripe berries of both red and black elderberry species can cause a toxic build up of cyanide in the body. To keep toxins out of your system, be sure to remove the elderflowers from all but the smallest stem attachment.
Should you wash elderflowers?
You will want 25 heads. Don’t wash the elderflowers before you do this. I told you earlier that exhaust-free flowers are essential. Once you’ve snipped the blooms, place them in a large bowl and cover them with cold water. Let them soak for at least an hour, or up to 24 hours, depending on the size of the bowl you’re using.
The longer they soak, the better they’ll taste. If you don’t have a bowl big enough to hold all of them, you can use a colander to drain the water from the bottom of your bowl.
You can also use your hands to gently squeeze out as much water as possible, but be careful not to squeeze too hard or you’ll end up with a bunch of dried-up flowers that won’t taste as good as they would if you’d just let them sit for a few hours in the fridge. I promise you, it is.
How do you process elderflower?
Simply clasp your fingers at the base of the flower cluster and pull. Much of the stem will be avoided by this. If you want to pick elderflowers, cut the umbel off with enough stem to hang onto the batter. When you enjoy these delicious treats, don’t eat that part.
Can I freeze elderflower heads?
Look for elderflower heads from about the end of May. They can be frozen if liked: freeze about 25 heads in a bag and add to the hot sugar syrup straight from the freezer – this will stop the syrup from thawing too much. If you don’t have elderflowers in your area, you can make your own syrup by following the directions on this page.
Can you preserve elderflowers?
An easy way to preserve your elderflowers is to make an elderflower syrup. You can also try the strawberry-elderflower jam. You can dry your elderflowers to preserve them later.
What does dried elderflower smell like?
The “fragrant floral smell” described in the listing does not apply to these elderflowers. In the bag, they have a musty odor. I infused some in a high quality oil and it developed a weird, spicy smell. This is not a bad smell, it’s just not what I was looking for. Rated 5 out of 5 by Anonymous from I love this scent!
I bought this as a gift for a friend and she loves it! It smells so good and I can’t get enough of it. It’s not overpowering at all and it doesn’t smell like any other perfume I’ve ever smelled. The only thing I don’t like about it is that it smells a little bit like a lotion, which is a bit of a turn off for me.
