Elderflowers lend a subtle, perfumey and very summery flavor. For this lemonade, I used local honey, which is bright yellow in color and gave the lemonade a brilliant shade. We’ve been enjoying it in the afternoons, to cool down in a land where air conditioning is rare.
Spring time here in the Northern Caucasus means blossoming elder trees everywhere. Seeing all this beauty, I remembered about an Elderflower Lemonade from the Vegetarian Everyday cookbook that I’ve been curisous to try.
I loved the whole process – from picking wild elderflowers, to seperating the buds from the stems – overall it was a very aesthetically satisfying process. There is lots of folklore based around the elder tree and its parts are believed to have many medicinal properties.
Elderflower Lemonade
about 6 elderflower heads
1 lemon – juice and zest
1 lemon – thinly sliced
1/2 cup honey or more to taste
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
6 cups room temperature water
Mix all ingredients to dissolve. Cover and let infuse at room temperature for 24-48 hours. Strain the flowers and keep refrigerated.
Dining and Cooking