Crafting Elderflower & Lemon Cordial... the taste of Summer!

 It is everything about the process involved that makes this so awesome.

And there is a beautiful healthful drink at the end of it...come on!

 Saturday morning, we walked the dog (Mr Baggins) and scoured our local hedgerows for the freshest most bloomful Elderflowers. The child was in charge of bucket holding and cutting (!)

I was in control of the dog and overseeing entire operations.

 We poured a few litres of hot water directly onto the flower heads in the bucket.

We stirred in a few bags of sugar till they dissolved.

And then added the juice and all cut up pieces of some lemons and oranges and the odd lime.

Oh, and Citric Acid. (must buy some more, stock is now depleted...)

And that lots sat in the kitchen til Monday afternoon.

THEN we mashed it all up and began the sticky 'back step' process of straining all that fine nectar.

I strain it through a sieve and a muslin mesh as its full of little thunderbugs and other hedgerow creatures. dead and done with. 

Its sticky and laborious and joyous :)

We funneled that lot into bottles from the vast store in the garage.

AND added the juice of 1 or 2 lemons to each bottle also. We like it tart! we like it to bite back a little bit...

Then we freeze as many as the freezer will allow. 

We serve ICE cold - with ICE! and FIZZY WATER.

yum yum yum and that is all that is to be said, other than:

"crazy country witch!" yep, that's me :)