Elder Flower Champagne

Did you know:(Elder Flowers) Sambucus nigra

ACTION

Diaphoretic, Diuretic, Anti-inflammatory.

Elder flowers are ideal for coughs, colds and flu. Its diaphoretic property makes it useful for fever.

KEY CONSTITUENTS

Flavonoids (Quercitol, Kaempferol), Triterpenes, Tannins, Volatile oils, Sterols, Mucilage, Phenolic acids, Linoleic acid, Linolenic acid, p-coumaric acid.

INDICATION

Flu, Common cold and sinusitis. Sambucus nigra contains compounds that are active against flu viruses.

P-coumaric acid is an antioxidant, an antiperoxidant and a lipoxygenase inhibitor.



Sam at at becks poshnosh was not thinking of medicinal use when she asked the recipe, for Elder Flower Champagne from this little cookery book


Anyone who read my post on Weds will know I was using a book that once belonged to my grandmother and all the recipes came from Gloucestershire Woman's Institute back in the 1930's.





So here it is Elder Flower champagne:
1 gall cold water
1.5 lbs sugar
2 large heads of Elderflower in full bloom
2 tablespoons of white vinegar
1 lemon
Put, water, sugar, flowers, lemon juice and rind, and vinegar in a pan/basin and mix well. Let it stand 24 hours, then bottle and cork tightly, ready to use in a fortnight. Will keep any length of time, a very nice drink.
Primrose Hill WI.

Well that's what the book says, it seems too simple to me. I am now very curious as to how this tastes. I also found these interesting
sites and this one has more recipes. All with slight variations.

Of course I should really have saved this for late spring next year when it would have been much more topical but hey ho anyone interested will be able to keep this for future reference.