Elderflower Mead The surface of my elderflower mead, three weeks old, and made with three different honies, fermented bee pollen and elderflower concentrate

Elderflower Mead

The surface of my elderflower mead, three weeks old, and made with three different honies, fermented bee pollen and elderflower concentrate

Elderflower mead In the big tub, 3.5 litres of unsweetened elderflower infusion (three large handfuls trimmed flowers, steeped in boiling water for 12 hours). Next to it, and about to be whisked into it, are my two week old ginger bug, some raw &#82…

Elderflower mead

In the big tub, 3.5 litres of unsweetened elderflower infusion (three large handfuls trimmed flowers, steeped in boiling water for 12 hours). Next to it, and about to be whisked into it, are my two week old ginger bug, some raw ‘forest’ honey and a few grams of ground fermented bee pollen. 

ElderflowersSambucus nigra I picked a bin bag full today from the tree out the back of our house. I will pick more in around two weeks, leaving some to turn into green berries (for capers) and some to ripen further into black elderberries. Today I s…

Elderflowers
Sambucus nigra

I picked a bin bag full today from the tree out the back of our house. I will pick more in around two weeks, leaving some to turn into green berries (for capers) and some to ripen further into black elderberries. Today I started work on four preparations with the flowers. I infused 5L water with a third of my forage, which I will use in two ways. The first will be a carbonated tonic with sour yoghurt whey as a starter. Next, another tonic with my two week old ginger/turmeric bug. I stuffed a load of flowers into a bottle of Polish spirit vinegar (at a hefty 10% acidity) which I will leave for a few months. Finally, I added a layer of my birch sap SCOBY to a mixture of Pu’er tea, sweetened with honey and sucrose and the final load of flowers.