sunny days

It seems like summer has arrived! So I went for an elderflower hunt and made elderflower cordial yesterday, which to me is the essence of summer. Fragrant, tangy, full of summer.

Takze som konecne spravila bazovy sirup, mmm to je leto v pohari.

To make your own, you'll need approx. 10 large elderflower blossoms and 1kg sugar per liter of water, lemon juice/citric acid to taste. Boil the water, let cool to room temperature then add flowers, put them in the water and let stand for 24 hours (you might need a bit of weight, like a plate to keep the flowers submerged). Strain the liquid through fine sieve lined with muslin, then add sugar and let to dissolve. You can speed up the process by heating the liquid a bit. Add lemon juice or citric acid to taste. I like mine quite tangy. The cordial won't keep forever, as there are no preservatives, but we usually drink it within a couple of weeks anyway :) I's essential not to wash the flowers because it's the pollen that gives the cordial it's distinctive flavour, so pick only clean flowers, not beside a busy road. Enjoy!

Here are the bottles topped with lemon juice, I love the way it looks