Elderflower water kefir

Elderflower comes and goes in a few weeks, roughly from the end of May to the end of June. Once you have made elderflower water kefir in those weeks, you will be eyeing the hedgerows from April the following year. The flavour is flowery and slightly musky, with a touch of honey and a fresh lemon note that sits perfectly with the tartness of water kefir. It is the closest thing to bottling a British summer evening, midges not included.

Picking elderflower: where and when

Elder grows almost everywhere: in hedgerows along country roads, on the edges of fields, in parks and at the end of plenty of back gardens. Pick on a dry, sunny morning, when the flat heads are fully open and creamy white to pale yellow. Smell them. A good head smells sweet and fresh. If it smells musty or sharp, leave it: the flowering is over.

Pick only from elder itself, the shrub or small tree that grows two to six metres tall with flat clusters of tiny flowers held up on woody branches. Do not confuse it with cow parsley or hogweed, which flower in white umbrellas on hollow stems rising from the ground. If you are not sure, leave it. Stay away from busy roads and never take more than a few heads from each bush, so there are still elderberries for the birds in autumn. Use the flowers the same day, as they brown quickly.

Out of season: with cordial

No fresh flowers? Put 3 tablespoons of elderflower cordial into the swing-top bottle instead of the heads and the teaspoon of sugar, and top up with water kefir. You skip the jar stage entirely: after 24 to 48 hours in the closed bottle it is ready. Because cordial holds a lot of sugar, this version gets much fizzier than the one with flowers, so chill it in good time.

The kefir itself is an ordinary batch: 30 g grains, 4 tablespoons sugar (about 60 g), 1 litre water, 1 dried fig and 1 slice of lemon, 24 hours at 20 to 25°C. The full method is in How to make water kefir, and the bottle stage in the second fermentation guide.

Variations

• Elderflower, mint and lime: a slice of lime instead of lemon, and fresh mint and plenty of ice in the glass.
• Elderflower and rhubarb: two tablespoons of syrup from the rhubarb water kefir. Their seasons overlap.
• Elderflower and strawberry: a few crushed strawberries in the bottle for a soft pink, fruity drink. See the strawberry water kefir.
• Elderflower and gooseberry: a small handful of crushed gooseberries gives a fresh, slightly tart edge.

Serving and storing

Elderflower water kefir is at its best ice cold, in a wine glass with a slice of lemon. At a summer barbecue it is a lovely alternative to a glass of wine, and it mixes well with sparkling water if you want it lighter. The flower scent fades quickly, so keep the bottle in the fridge and drink it within a few days.

To taste elderflower again in winter, freeze a few heads in a freezer bag in June. They lose a little scent, but there is enough for a bottle in February.

Frequently asked questions

To be ready when the elder flowers, order your water kefir grains a few weeks ahead, so they are running at full strength when the first heads open. More recipes are on the water kefir page.