Thursday 24 November 2011

FreeForestGifts

this is an elderberry tree
i found it in the forest
and remembered the variety of ways this was used
when i visited europe
elderflower wine, elderflower cordial
and then later elderberry wine

i harvested a bowl full of flowers and made a very fragrant cordial
i took a suacepan and filled it with 1.5 litres of water 
and poured in 2 kilos of sugar
while this was brought to the boil, i occasionally stirred it.
in a large bowl i placed the elderberry flower heads
pared the skin of a couple of lemons
tossed them into the bowl
then sliced up the lemons and also tossed them into the bowl
when the syrup water was boiling 
i poured it over the elderberry flower heads
and put in a small container (75gr) of citric acid
i covered the bowl with a cloth and put it away for 24 hours
next day i sieved it through a cloth
and poured it into clean glass bottles
then put it away for a sunny summer's day

'every roadside is suitable for planting fruit trees'







2 comments:

  1. it is also traditional [at least in parts of England] to ask "her what lives in the tree" [read with Cornish accent] for permission to gather

    when he was a lad, my uncle used to make flutes from the wood, it being hollow/tubelike
    but
    i wouldn't be chewing on the twigs, as they are poisonous

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