Elder flower cider - recipe
When the elder tree in our garden starts to flower, around midsummer, it is time to make the elder flower cider! This is a tradition that we have kept alive for over 20 years now and it is always so refreshing to bring out an ice cold glass of homemade cider! The recipe below scales beautifully, we usually make 16 liters(four times the amount in the recipe) and that is sufficient for the whole year. I keep the cider in a 19 liter stainless steel pressure keg and have a tap in the conservatory, very convenient!
Pick the elder flowers, make sure to pick nice and well developed flowers without any insects or other impurities.
Halve the lemon and squeeze out the juice in a bucket, you will need room for at least 6 liters. Cut each half of the lemon in four parts and add them to the bucket.
Add the white and the brown sugar and the apple cider vinegar to the bucket.
Pour in the cold water and stir until the sugar has dissolved completely.
Cover the bucket with a clean towel and let it sit over night.
The next day strain the solids out and pour the liquid into heavy, pressure proof bottles like champagne bottles, this cider is capable of producing very high pressures! I have had bottles explode, not recommended and very sticky! Or do as I do and pour the cider into a keg!
Now you will need patience, this cider will ferment by the yeasts on the elder flowers themselves and therefore it will take some time, at least two months and preferably longer. We use the cider from the previous year, it has had time to mature and develop a lovely, deep flavour by then!
Image link: bloomsandfood.com
my mother was a hamster and my father smelt of elderberries
I love a good Monty Python quote!
sounds refreshing
It is very refreshing, I love it with a big lump of ice in the glass!
Interesting, I have never heard of Elder flowers before, but I do love Apple or Cherry Cider!
It is possible to use the elder berries as well but then the taste will be quite different, not at all flowery and more tart.
Wow! That's sounds good! I've made cider before, but never one like this. Thanks for the post!
Try it, you might like it! 😀
This recipe has great ingredients; all have antioxidents which are good for slowing down aging. Nice and useful post @almvide
Thank you @monajam, nice to know that the cider is actually good for your body! ( If you disregard the alcohol content...) 😎
I wouldn't even know where to find elder flowers but I am so curious as to the taste of this cider! My mouth puckered at the mention of lemons, and then even more with the thought of apple cider vinegar! (I used to do a shot of it every day... I really need to get back to doing that... random thought over.)
I'm certain this has some alcohol content with the yeast, sugar and fermenting process. Does it? And does it become stronger the longer it ages?
The taste is flowery and with a hint of apple from the vinegar, the alcohol content is usually around 5-7%. Depending on how far the fermentation goes the alcohol increased and the sweetness decreases.
yum! If I can sip moonshine I bet this would be a treat! LOL 5-7% alcohol is the strength of a decent beer too...without the hops and barley. I do love discovering subtle tastes. It's almost a game of mine... to name the spices and stuff like that. :)
I wish that I had the taste buds for that, I tried wine tasting but it is more of a hit and miss activity for me!
great
Thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing, your elder flower cider sounds amazing. Around here I've seen lots of elder berry syrup, wine, and jelly made, but never cider out of the flowers, so going to try it!
It tastes like summer to me, very refreshing and not to strong! We have a lot of flowers on our tree and I would love to do other recipes as well, do you have any recipe to share maybe?
Ooh! I have a really old beverage cookbook somewhere that I know has a recipe that you might be interested in! Let me root around the house. Also, my Steemit friend and fellow blogger @haphazard-hstead has a ton of interesting information on foraging and utilizing plants in ways that I didn't think was possible! Totally worth a look, and I will get back to you with any recipe that I find.😊
Nice! I didn't even know that 'elder flower cider' was a thing :) . . . I learn something new every day. Thank you, @almvide.
Great! I love to learn new things myself!!