Elderflower Cordial

We made a big batch of elderflower cordial from the elderflower heads we foraged. We'd never had elderflower cordial before, but apparently it's a soft drink dating back to the roman empire, and has been traditionally very popular in northwestern Europe where it has a strong Victorian heritage. We have a soft spot for things Victorian around here so we were even more determined to try it.

We cobbled together a recipe from a few we saw online, and in the end I'm still not quite sure what constitutes "one large head" of elderflowers, so I'm sure (like with most things) variation is acceptable. It has a pleasant unique flavor, that really doesn't taste like anything else. We've been mixing it about 1 part to 8 parts sparkling water, but that's all up to personal taste. Some people even mix it with "still water", it would still have a pleasant zing from the lemon and acid.  

Elderflower Cordial Recipe

• 25 large elderflower heads
• 2 pints water
• 2 lbs sugar
• 2 oz tartaric acid (cream of tartar) or citric acid
• 2 lemons, juiced

Dissolve sugar in water over low heat. Add tartaric or citric acid and lemon juice. (Zest of lemons can be added as well.) Mix well. Add elderflowers. Steep 24 hours. Strain into jars. Store in the refrigerator or freezer--just to be safe. Mix with sparkling water to drink, or substitute for any flavored syrup in recipes.

Violet Jelly

Sometimes when I see or read an idea, I know instantly: I will do that. I latch on to it and become determined to make it happen. That's how it was for me when I first heard of wildflower jelly.

Last year I made dandelion jelly first, but was sad to have missed the wild violet season. This year I was determined to make the violet jelly, so I did that first and next I'll do some more dandelion jelly. I got some blossoms from my backyard for my first batch. But I didn't have very many so later we went foraging through the neighborhood for more. I knocked on a neighbor's door and she was surprised but more than happy to let me help myself to her patch of violets.

To make violet jelly you pour boiling water over the blossoms to steep them like tea.
I always strain it through a flour sack towel to keep out all the dirt. (See what got left behind?)
The violet water is a deep blue color, but when you add lemon juice (the acidity is necessary to preserve the jelly) it turns a bright fuchsia color. They really are beautiful.

 Violet Jelly Recipe:

The basic recipe is all over the internet-

2 cups violet blossoms, stems removed.
2 cups boiling water
juice of one lemon
1 package pectin (I used sure-jel for these)
4 cups sugar

Steep blossoms in water overnight. Strain. Add water if needed to make 2 cups. Add lemon juice. Follow directions for your pectin--mine were: Add pectin to juice. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve. Add sugar, return to rolling boil, and boil for one minute exactly. Ladle into jars and process in water bath canner for 10 minutes. (Makes 12 4oz jars)

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Violet Jelly with Honey variation:
I experimented with using honey instead of white sugar to make the jelly. I use Pomona's Pectin. I used one cup of the violet water and followed the directions in Pomona's for a basic jelly. It was 1T lemon juice; 1/4 cup honey; 1 tsp of the calcium water (that comes with the Pomona's Pectin); and 1 tsp of pectin. (Makes 3 4oz jars) Next time I will use a little bit more pectin because it was a pretty loose set, and I may add a bit more honey--it was a very mellow jelly. It definitely has some floral hints to it and I could taste the honey. Obviously the jelly was more cloudy from the honey, but all-natural instead.

Apple Sauce

A friend of mine came over on Friday and we canned homemade apple sauce. I have a bit of experience with canning, and most of the right tools, so she wanted to come see how one goes about the whole "canning" experience.

I've never done applesauce before, but I missed peach season due to the woes of early pregnancy, and wanted to do something that the young children we both have would enjoy.

It was pretty simple:

• Peel, core, and slice apples (We did about 12 lbs and chose a variety to get both good taste and texture.)
• Put in a pot and barely cover with water (I also squeezed in the juice of one lemon for preservation of color)
• Simmer 'till soft, then puree (I thought my stick blender might turn it to juice instead of sauce but it actually worked perfectly)
• Eat or "can" or I suppose you could freeze it too(Our batch made 11 pints)

The best part about it was seeing how interested and excited Owen was about the whole thing. The jars were cooling on the counter and Owen wanted to pop one open right then and eat it. We finally caved in for dinner Saturday night and let the boys have some. I'm really pleased with how well it turned out. And Owen's interest in the process makes it all worth it!

Now I have nine more pounds of apples I bought. What should I do next? More applesauce or apple butter? yummm. . . apple butter. . .