Allotments 4 All

Gavin,

Most humble apologies as |I skim read the reply and when I returned to check it, saw the hawthorn footnote.

Quick clarifying question: Hawthorns produce sloe berries don't they :-\

Debs

No Debs, Blackthorns produce sloes.  Hawthorns produce haws.  :-\

http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/b1/blacktho.asp

http://www.greenheyes.com/pages/natrepsep02.htm

Cor, struggled to find a piccy of a hawthorn!

Out in the garden with the scissors this morning -elderflower cordial is GO  ;D I just need to blag enough fizzy drink bottles to make some champagne now.

Actually those big grolsch bottles look ideal -if only I was a lager drinker.

Jeremy.

Dear all...

Th elderflower champagne recipe sounds fab...

Is it alcoholic ;) :P

Debs

If you want it to be  ;D

It will be slightly alcoholic, I think, as it is fermentation that makes the bubbles. The recipe I posted earlier claims to be alcohol free, but my guess is it's more 'alcohol weak' -like shandy -or less.

BTW I would use plastic cider, lemonade or fizzy water bottles to keep it in, it will be ready when they go hard and if you want to keep it longer then you can let a bit of the gas out.

The Grolsch bottles I mentioned are the old 'china -stopper' types with a rubber washer, the theory is that when the preasure gets too much they let some of the gas out and so won't burst or shower you with champers on opening, I'd be interested to know if this were true  :o

Jeremy

Re Citric acid. I am told that the famous high street chemist still stocks this, but you now have to ask for it at the Drugs counter. Not guaranteeing this information since we still have some left.

Elderflower update...

Have found an ideal little woodland area with 2 or 3 elder trees..

have picked a few clusters and have a 5 litre batch of "champers" waiting the required 24 hrs before the bottling up commences  :P!!

watch this space...

Debs ;)

Word of warning re : alcohol making and fizzy drink bottles.  Know is a bit teaching grannie to suck eggs and all that but when you open new bottle of fizzy drink, has bit of top which doesn't break so that top doesn't fly off into your eye!  Remember, if using them to store your own, that safety catch is not there.  Be very careful when opening, it's surprising how much care you need to use when opening them.  That said, are very useful containers.  Happy brewing and keep safe  :D

As there are still lots of jam and preserve peeps around, it is worth looking in your local supermarket for citric acid.  Certainly, a while back, I found some in Tesco's.

Might be worth using the allotmenteer's technique, if you don't ask, you don't get!  :D

Not being any good with puters, just try google for 'citric acid suppliers uk' and you will get quite a lot of info which may help.  Certainly threw up a fair amount of places to try  :D

E-J (or anyone else) how's the cordial? I'm planning to bottle mine tonight, at first taste it's pretty lemony with the elderflower taste hitting you second -more elderflowers next year.

BTW my wife didn't like the idea of reusing plastic drinks bottles for a long period of time -so we now have some posh, china stopper types, from habitat :o

Jeremy

Hi  Emma Jane :D
                       Instead of citric acid you should use tartaric acid as it gives a smoother flavour (it is not as harsh in flavour as citric)
It is available from home brew shops , which are thin on the ground these days, look up home brew shops in your yellow pages.
                                             adrian.

Have bottled up the 'champers' and it's sitting horizontally on wine rack in kitchen - have used old vodka/wine screw top glass bottles.

Please advise if this is not appropriate as would hate to knock grandma's eyes out when she walks into kitchen to make a cuppa !!

Debs  ;D ;D ;D

I have a plassy bottle nearly filled and clearly labelled in the freezer to have with champers on Christmas morning with my mum, the second bottle I gave to my mum as she buys it from craft fairs and the such and adores it with fizzy water and the third bottle is mine and is in my fridge slowely being guzzled.  I was suprised at how perfumed and fragranced it is - I can't taste the lemons at all.  Couldn't lay my hands on any citric or tartaric acid at that time, so used an extra lemon, and to be honest, I think it will be drunk long before preserving it becomes an issue.  What else does the acid do??  It is delish, and may well make one more batch, there suddenly seems to be elderflowers everywhere, but I want lots of berries later in the year so don't want to be a glutton!  :P

Is "cream of tartar" the same as tartaric acid??

Ten x

Debs,

your champers is going to be fizzy (I hope :) ), so you really ought to use bottles that are made to withstand pressure -i.e. beer, cider, pop, champers &c., if not you may get a messy explosion :o .

DANGER!!!!! :o :o
Forgive me if this has already been mentioned, as I have only skim read this thread, I would strongly recommend for those of you making elderflower champagne that you us the strong heavy champagne bottles with wired corks (wires and corks can be obtained from home brew outlets) and not the lighter weight screw topped glass bottles that some fizzy drinks come in. Alternatively use the 2ltr plastic lemonade or coke bottles as these are designed to take anything up to 200psi, I have had personal experience of bottles with screw tops that I presumed would be safe as they had originally held fizzy drinks exploding!

Also if you are relying on the natural yeast for the fermentation process there can be quite a bit of sediment build up in the bottle so I tend to store my bottles stood upright and to sieve the champagne before serving.
:D :D :D

All above points duly noted :)

Will be transferring mine into something else as would not like kitchen covered in glass and everyone else in shrapnel  ;D

Debs

Have noticed that there are several elder trees around the lottie site YIPPEE!!!

Am off to do watering now ... and to pick elderflower heads for cordial as we have just drained the last from our shop-bought and I may add, quite expensive, elderflower cordial.

Debs

How is everyone doing with their cordial and champers?

I have cordial in fridge and freezer ( very sweet taste I thought).

Tasted some champers which is beautiful - and surprisingly fizzy, so I'm pleased I transferred it into plastic bottles and housed it in garage!

Should it have been slightly alcoholic ?  Doesn't taste like it - but very pleasant all the same ;D

Could it have been made alcoholic?  If so, how?

Debs

P.S. Will now be waiting for berries - what equipment is needed    
      to make wine?  Anyone recommend a good recipe?

Debs ;)