Drained the last of my elderflower from a barrel. It came out lovely and clear but tasted like elderflower vinegar! Do you reckon I could use it as elderflower vinegar? It has an elderflower aroma and is like a very weak vinegar,not nasty at all, but will I poison myself!
"The problem with retirement is that you never get a day off"- Abe Lemons
For information purposes only. I have just bought a load of unwaxed lemons, Variety Verna from Spain. I bought them at Lidl becaus ehey looked large and appetising.The worrying thing for me is that the label says treated with Imazalil and Fosetyl-AL.
I have looked these up and they are both carciogenic fungiscides! Appaently you can only get rid of 30% of the fungiscide by blanching and scrubbing.
Apart from the elderflower champagne I always have the juice of two lemons first thing each morning which is slightly worrying? I was blitzing the lemons and eating the pulp but found I couldn't get away with the bittyness.
I wonder whether boiling the peel then adding it to the juice (with ginger and cinnamon added) could minimise the toxicity?
"The problem with retirement is that you never get a day off"- Abe Lemons
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The bush I usually visit seems to be coming into full flower so I need to get cracking! Just going to use the barrel this year as it worked fine last year.
"The problem with retirement is that you never get a day off"- Abe Lemons
Right, just been out for a walk with Kato and the elderflower bush I use is in full bloom so tomorrow I will gather the flowers It just so happens that I have a strawverry glut just now. I have froze some with sugar and alciohol, the bucket of strawbs I have now I will turn into jam, and I wondered whether tomorrows picking I should add to the elderflower champagne? I intend blitzing tomorrows harvest in food processer and adding to the elderflowers,sugar and lemons.
This will hopefully give me pink elderflower champagne with a hint of strawberry?
"The problem with retirement is that you never get a day off"- Abe Lemons
Finally got my elderflower and strawberry champagne made today. Didn't use a recipe just blagged it. Filled my barrel with water and tipped that in large bowl. Blitzed three large lemons and maybe a pound of strawberries in the food processor. Added to bowl. Boiled a kettle full of water, about 1.5 litre and added it to 2lb of sugar in another bowl. Mixed it all up then added half a carrier bag of elderflower blooms.I have a few placcy bottles stashed so any extra will go in those.
I just hope the addition of straberries keeps the champagne pink and that it doesn't go brown. We shall see, but it will get drunk either way.
"The problem with retirement is that you never get a day off"- Abe Lemons
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Do you reckon I could use it as elderflower vinegar? 
It has an elderflower aroma and is like a very weak vinegar,not nasty at all, but will I poison myself! 
Just going to use the barrel this year as it worked fine last year. 