The elderberry has sprung up and lights up the Danish natural landscape with its delicate pale yellow elderflower umbels that almost look like clusters of small pearls or snowflakes. In this article, we will show you how to use the beautiful elderflower in bouquets and in the recipe for homemade raw pickled elderflower juice.
ELDER FLOWERS IN GLASS VASES
The simple elderflower can become sumptuous to look at if you pick a handful and gather them into a large, decorative bouquet - just make sure you pick the flowers in several places so that you don't clear a single place for them.
Here at Studio About, we love to pick our own bouquets and take advantage of all the goodness that nature gives us. Therefore, summer is an exuberant, welcome time for our flower-loving hearts, and there was therefore no doubt that a beautiful elderflower bouquet was needed in our Bubble Tube glass vase, which is perfect for large bouquets. In the picture, we have put the elderflowers in our Bubble Tube glass vase in the color amber. The light yellow umbels and the dark green leaves look beautiful against the deep amber color of the vase and the rose-coloured foot. The tapered neck ensures that the lush elderflower decoration still has structure and doesn't collapse.
A single elderflower shade is also highly decorative in a small vase like our Standing Flower Bubble. If you place both glass vases together, you can create a beautiful still life of elderflowers which will decorate your table beautifully, both inside and outside. The shelf is the epitome of the Danish summer, and with such bouquets your home will feel warm and inviting. In addition to looking beautiful, the elderflowers will give off an aromatic and summery scent.
NEW BUBBLE TUBE VASES
In August, we are launching three new exciting color combinations of the Bubble Tube vase which will also go perfectly with the light yellow elderflower, and with the new color combinations you can create even more color plays and still lifes for your elderflower bouquets.
HOMEMADE ELDERFLOWER JUICE
The season for the flowers is unfortunately quite short from June to mid-July - so take advantage of the season and make a refreshing elderflower juice from the aromatic flowers, now that you are out picking for your flower bouquet anyway. Below you will find our easy basic recipe for homemade raw pickled elderflower juice and a method for how you can use the remains of the elderflowers for elderflower vodka.
BEFORE YOU START
Elderflower has both a mild and perfumed taste at the same time. Therefore, it is important to add flavoring agents to highlight the elderflower flavor. Besides a lot of sugar, lemon is a significant factor in giving the juice its refreshing and mouth-watering taste. You can also add other flavors such as vanilla bean, mint or raspberry to give your juice a delicious, rounded taste. You can also replace half of the cane sugar with brown sugar - this will give your juice a deep color and a delicious, caramelised taste.
When you have to pick elderflowers for the elderflower juice, make sure you don't pick them too close to a busy road - you'll avoid too many weeds and dirt. This also means you don't need to rinse them. Much of the flavor is in the pollen in the elderflower umbels, and this is otherwise washed away. Just look for crawlers and insects that you can easily shake off.
Our recipe does not contain citric acid, as we think it gives a cleaner and more natural taste without it. Citric acid helps to preserve the elderflower juice, so you can easily add two spoonfuls if you wish. Instead, our recipe gives a smaller portion, and you can also freeze some of the juice for longer shelf life - possibly as ice cubes for your drink.
EASY RECIPE FOR RAW PICKLED ELDERFLOWER JUICE
INGREDIENT LIST
50 elderflower screens
3 organic lemons
700 g cane sugar
1.5 l boiling water
- Free the elderflowers from as many of the green stems as possible. This is because there are a number of bitter substances that will make your juice too bitter.
- Cut the lemons into slices.
- Add elderflowers, lemon slices and sugar to a large bowl.
- Mash them thoroughly to make a pulp - this extracts even more flavor from the shelf.
- Pour boiling water over the mixture and stir a little.
- Cover the bowl and leave it in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- Strain it in a clean cloth or strainer, and pour it into a scalded patent bottle.
- Store the juice in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
- The recipe makes about 1.5 litres.
Serve the elderflower juice in a beautifully colored glass with plenty of ice cubes, mint or fresh berries and lemon slices, and enjoy both your elderflower juice and the elderflower bouquet outside in the warm summer sun.
ELDERFLOWER VODKA
When the elderflower juice has finished draining and the excess elderflower pulp has been strained off, you can use the pulp again to make elderflower vodka. In this way, you get everything out of the flowers and reduce your food waste.
Pour a bottle of vodka of your choice over the pulp and let it steep for between 3 days and a week. Sift off the pulp once more and pour it into a scalded patent bottle. When the waiting time is over, you can treat yourself and enjoy your elderflower vodka in a mouth-watering elderflower drink. Also serve your elderflower vodka in a colored glass with, for example, your elderflower cubes, rhubarb soda and fresh strawberries.
