FORAGING FUN….

Its that beautiful time again when I can smell those sweet elderflowers as I walk past the summer hedgerows… All you need is 25 flowers some sugar and citric acid and the result is a refreshing and delicious syrup great on hot summer days..

Medicinally elderflowers are used for hayfever, cold and flu, reducing cholesterol and easing joint pain. So perfect fresh or dried in a tea as well.

SAFETY and RESPECT of the plants around us first:

When foraging please remember to not pick from plants that are near crops or busy roads. Pick from sweet smelling flowers where the flowers are nearly fully opened. Be kind.. Snip off the flowers with sharp scissors. (I like to talk to the plants letting them know what I am going to use for them for and thanking them for their gift)! Yes that sounds a little nuts,

but its important to have respect..Do not strip a whole plant of all its flowers these are going to change into berries for the birds in the autumn. Elderberries are also one of the herbs that herbalists are using for covid 19 so they are needed.. One more thing. Leave the flowers on some baking paper before use so that the little insects can escape. You can tilt the baking paper out, releasing these beneficial insects to your garden.

Add some ice, water and enjoy.