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I suspect that mature flowers should be used for Elderflower champs, and wine.

Is this the case ?

We have young just out flowers here in Kingston at the mo !

Hello riffster,
                      I would use the youngest , freshest florets, they will lose their bouquet as they get older. Also stick your nose well into the florets before you pick them, some have a very strong aroma of cat pee ;D  don`t use these, use the really sweet  floral smelling ones. This may mean you go home with a yellow nose from the pollen, but hey, no gain without pain :o

                                                    Adrian.
                                   

I'd agree, go for ones that are just opening.

Thanks for the reminder- the hedgerows round here are just coming into flower.

.....so I went looking for the recipe I used last year and couldn't find it.Can anyone give me a link, please- the simpler the better!

Hope this link does it - I am going to try next weekend, have just made gorgeous elderflower cordial though (also on a BBC site - a Sophie Grigson recipe) - I hope there are lots of flowers left cos I also want to make another batch of that. And then there are recipes for elderflower florets in batter.......
The link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A593363

Good luck - does anyone know how worried I have to be about glass bottles bursting with the elderflower champagne?

...very worried!!

There has been a thread about exploding bottles (perhaps a couple of years ago now)

Advice, as I remember it, was to use plastic pop bottles and check for fermentation i.e. if the plastic of the bottles was tight and had no 'give', the cap should be unscrewed slightly to reduce the internal pressure and therefore prevent explosive accidents.

I'm sure others will advise better...

Debs :)

Thanks for the link- think I'll stick to the cordial to be on the safe side! Might make some champers for my dad's 80th in a few weeks' time.

Use "just out " pure and uncontaminated . Rohaise 

A subject very close to my heart... hence the name! That Sophie Grigson recipe is absolutely delicious. Mmmm!

CAn I please also ask if anyone has a recipe for elderflower crodial, we were talking about it at the weekend at Barnsdale, but nobody seemed to know the quantites or recipe - please let me know if you have one

Kathi

I used something between these two (the first two when I googled e.c.)

http://uktv.co.uk/index.cfm/uktv/Food.recipe/aid/516164 (http://uktv.co.uk/index.cfm/uktv/Food.recipe/aid/516164)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/elderflowercordial_6465.shtml (http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/elderflowercordial_6465.shtml)

I didn't use any oranges and I had about 20 heads and 1kg of sugar and about 2l of water. Think you can be fairly flexible without any problem! Remember you need to dilute it before you drink it! Just going to get a glass now. :D

Thankyou Caroline, will give them a go

Kathi

I see from the link that white wine vinegar is added. Is that correct? I thought the yeast in wine was stabilised before bottling?

We used to use beer yeast I think.

The exploding bottles is usually because you have not used fizzzy drinks bottles which would withstand the pressure. We at first made the mistake of using corks and have happy memories of them popping out in the cupboard. The recipe we used said add a small amont of sugar to each bottle. I think some mischevious person thought of that.

On one occasion we were in histerics because when we took the cork out it shot all round the small kitchen and we desperately tried to get the resulting froth into glasses as the bottle emptied itself. We got a wine glass full eaech ::)

I hope the white wine vinegar is correct cos I have made two batches with it (not yet tasted)! So far the bottles have been fine (have used pop bottles) but I look at them warily whenever I go past.

"I would use the youngest , freshest florets, they will lose their bouquet as they get older. Adrian."

Gerry Schooler of country winemakers Lurgashall winery would agree with you Adrian. He told me when I interviewed him for my wine column on livingit.com that “If you use dried flowers it will taste like hay. If you use fresh flowers, it smells so fresh and lovely. You can always tell the difference, always.”

Bit of a blatant plug I know, but the column couldn't be put up in time for the June picking. Aaagh. Still if you still fancy a read:

http://www.livingit.com/food/pgArticle.aspx?aid=28