Sunday 22 June 2008

The scent of paradise

The scullery smells divine. Sitting on the cobbled floor is a large bucket filled with lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, a splash of cider vinegar and heaps of elder flowers.
I keep going in there, and yes, I am inhaling.
It's a very first attempt at elderflower champagne. What with the flowers nodding at me every time I walk the dogs, and empty cider making kit taking up space until October and the apple harvest, it would have been unseemly to resist.
I can't imagine an easier harvest for picking; no thorns, no nettles, no peeling or pulping or stoning. Just a quick click of the secateurs, a gentle shake to dislodge any insects, and you're done. It's like making food from clouds.
If the flowers continue to oblige, next weekend I'll have a go at some elderflower cordial.
And having just re-read this, I can imagine folks snorting into their beer over the feyness of it all. Chin-chin!

12 comments:

Totty Teabag said...

Be sure to use strong bottles and wire the tops down well; I can tell you that exploding Elderflower Fizz makes one hell of a mess of your cupboards...

KAZ said...

Cheers Mopsa!
After reading your link, I don't think I'll be saying 'chin-chin' from now on.

Anonymous said...

Another 'snap'!

I have a pan full of the heavenly stuff in the larder too. Fragrant unless the only flowers available are from the cat-pee-smell-tree!

Whispering Walls said...

Good luck, Mopsa. As Totty says, the fermenting can make the bottles explode so be careful where you store them.

Flowerpot said...

I've always wanted to try that Mopsa - enjoy!!

Mopsa said...

Totty - how exactly do I wire the caps on?

Any time, Kaz - couldn't resist!

Snap and sniff, Paula!

WW - outside storage is being discussed!

F'pot, I'll let you know if it's worth the (small) effort.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I'm making this too. Perhaps we should we organise a cross-Devon tasting? After the tips re exploding bottles, I think I'll be storing mine in the ancient, crumbling outhouse.

Totty Teabag said...

Ask all your friends to save their champagne/perry bottles, or look for ones that have a good lip under the mouth. Use strong string or wire to tie under the lip and then over the stopper. If you want to be sure, you can buy plastic stoppers and wires here, for about twenty pence each, but I expect you can find them in your end of the UK.

Ian said...

Hi there,

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Ian
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Arthur Clewley said...

perhaps you should get hold off some of those old fashioned pop bottles with the marble in the neck mopsa. You could store Nitroglycerine in those without losing a drop. ah, those summers of my youth...

garfer said...

Can you distil it into elderflower vodka?

If so, put me down for a case.

Mopsa said...

60-16 - me too!

Ohh - Totty - thanks for the link - very useful.

Arthur - they have a romance about them, don't they?

Garfer - Vigo sells working distiller models but carefully reminds the reader that to actually use them is illegal...sigh.