Elderberry syrup
Foraging diaries # 13 : Elderberries Hello! Yes, I'm still alive! September was a busy month. I managed to find time to cook a fair amount of recipes, specially preserves. What I didn't manage to find time for was to write them. Prepare to be bombarded with a dozen recipes in one go! Elderberries are the fruit of the elder tree ( Sambucus nigra ). Remember the elderflowers I used in July to make cordial, jams and fritters? Yes, same tree. If you leave the flowers on the tree, they create fruit, berries. I had been monitoring a tree on the farm where we buy milk from for a few weeks, waiting for the berries to be ripe enough. I did get distracted for 2 weeks and when I got there almost half the berries where dry. A few dried elderberries weren't going to spoil my plans completely. Maybe there wasn't enough to make jelly and syrup. Remember one of the foraging's golden rule? Leave some on the tree for birds . There was only enough to make one recipe. Darina Allen...