Elderflowers Fizz

I was always fascinated by this amazing recipe, but I never tried to make it.

Searching in the net I found that sometimes this is called “Elderflower Champagne”, sometimes “Elderflower Sekt” and sometimes “Elderflower sparkling Wine”.

Finally now that elderflower are ready I decided to prepare this fresh and low alcoholic sparkling beverage.

I found many recipes and many different methods of preparation. For this reason I had to make my choice:

• I used cold tap water (if you water has too much chlorine you should boil it first and then let cool down)
• I did not add vinegar; I added some citric acid instead.
• I did not add yeast. The fermentation comes form the wild yeast spores on the flowers! However some people use wine yeast, champagne yeast or baker’s yeast.
• Flowers were just in bloom and clean (no dust and no parasites). I did not wash them.
• Once I added only lemon juice and the second time lemon slices
• I gave more taste adding thinly slices ginger.
• Sugar / Water ratio: 1 kg sugar for every 10 linters water.

The result? Much better that imagined, it’s delicious and I have my stock to serve in special occasions!

I found it not too sweet, sparkling, fresh and aromatic. WOW next year I will do it again!

Note: I’ve posted this recipe 3 years ago, but as now elder flower are ready again, I would like to bring this suggestion again! Try this experiment and have fun!

• Time: a few days
• Difficulty: medium
• Print

Autor: https://artandkitchen.wordpress.com/ 

Ingredients:

• 20 -30 elderflower heads, dry and fully mature
• 10 liters cold water
• 1 kg sugar (may be increased to 1.4 kg)
• 2 lemons, juice or thin slices
• ginger, washed about 10-20 thin slices (optional)
• 1 tablespoon citric acid

Procedure:

1. Pick up 20-30 elderflower heads; best on a sunny day when they are most fragrant.
2. Half fill a clean bucket with 10 liters cold water
3. Dissolve 1kg sugar and the citric acid into the water.
4. Remove partially the stem of the elderflowers heads and add them to the flowers to the water.
5. Slice lemons and ginger if used thinly and add them to the bucket.
6. Stir gently and cover with a loose lid or with a clean tea towel.
7. From now on stir occasionally (3-4 timer per day).
8. After 2-3 days the drink should begin to produce bubbles witch bring the flowers to the top.
9. Let ferment it until the speed of fermentation has slowed. You don’t want exploding bottles! At this point the liquid should taste dryer and less sweet.
10. Strain the liquid and fill it into champagne-style bottles (with the appropriate little wire cage) or (not as pretty but much safer) use plastic bottlers of carbonated soft drinks as Coca Cola. Glass, swing-top lemonade bottles are not really man enough for the job. Don’t fill the bottle, leave 6-7 cm air from the top! I recommend releasing the accumulated gas every day until the production of gas is slower enough.
11. In about 8 days it should be ready to drink best for several weeks to allow the fermentation to add fizz to the wine.
12. Let decant the bottle in the fridge before serving. Be very careful opening the bottles.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Bubbles (Elderflowers Fizz)

My Elderflowers fizz was a big success!

Here some pics of the fizz…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Hot Rose Hip Tea with Honey

Do you need a cold and flu home remedy? Try this delicious and completely different warming tea. Honey and chili have anti-microbial and stimulating properties, lemon and rose hips are rich of Vitamin C and ginger is known to have expectorant properties. What do you wait for? Perhaps you have all the ingredients in the kitchen!

For one cup you need:

• 1 rose hip tea bags (alternative 1 teaspoon dried rose hip)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 inch ginger, thinly sliced
• 1 pinch chili (to taste)
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/2 lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons honey

Preparation

1. Bring water in a small saucepot with rose hip to boil and let simmer 10 minutes.
2. During this time slice the ginger.
3. Add chili ginger and chili to the rose hip tea. Cover and keep warm for about 10 minutes.
4. Finally add lemon juice and honey.
5. Remove the tea bag, pour into the cup and serve.

Note: if you have a small thermos put the ginger, chili, honey and lemon juice in the thermos, add rose hip tea and let soak. You can also grate the ginger and place it in a teabag to remove it easily.

Releted theme: Rose Hip Harvest

→ Back to home

Rose Hip Harvest

I love the color of rose hip berries, that’s a nice present form the rose that has gone.

What can we make with them? Cooking and crafts at least.

Crafts: Depending from the rose they may have different size, color and form. For this reason they are pretty in decorations. In the next day I will try to use them. Will see..

Food: Don’t forget: rose hips are rich of vitamin C ! I will give you some recipe links.

The harvest

After the first frost it’s time for the harvest.  Hips from the Rosa rugosa and the wild rose ones are the best

The preparation is not difficult, but quite time-consuming.

After the harvest, wash and dry them with a towel.

Preparation

They can be used fresh or dried.

• Fresh for fresh tea jelly, jam, pickles, juice, etc., but they can be shredded and used raw in salads and desserts. In this case you will have to remove the seeds and the skin irritating hairs.  To remove the seeds, trim the ends of them best with scissors. After this remove seeds with a sharp knife, rinse the hips in cold water, and drain them thoroughly. At this point you can use them straight directly or freeze them.
• Dried (whole or broken with a mortar) they can be used for teas and as food coloring for other a pale jelly. Dry them in a dark and well ventilated place for several weeks until dry. You can also do this using a dehydration-processor or in the oven on the lowest temperature.

I hope that in the next days I will find time make some decorations and post them here.

Related themes: The Rose Family

Recipes: Rose hip recipes (about.com), Rose hip recipes (food.com), Rose hip recipes (weedcuisine.co)

→ Back to home