Elder Flower Sugar

By Mel Evans

I talked a lot about the Elder tree in an earlier post about using Elder branches to make beads. You can find it here.

Right now we are watching and waiting for the beautiful fragrant frothy creamy white Elder Flowers to bloom. They have many uses ranging from Elder Flower Fritters to Cordial and even Champagne, but I like to use the very first flowers to make Elder Flower Sugar.

Here at Nature Nurture Sussex we all have are own nature traditions. These are important and they help us feel grounded. They give us a place in nature and they remind us to be mindful of tiny every day miracles. You might have seen Kev talking about always starting the Spring with a glass of Birch Sap (if not find it here) and everyone knows Sarah ALWAYS looks for pine cones after a storm!

One of my traditions is to pick the very first Elderflower blooms to infuse into sugar. You only need two or three heads to infuse a whole jar of sugar so its a great use for the first flowers. It means we can start to enjoy the lovely aromatic taste while we wait for the main crop.

Sometimes getting the first blooms means going the extra mile and that is part of the fun too.

One year I picked the early blooms by climbing a ladder, placed in Stinging Nettles on a river bank, Maybe not one to try at home!

Having a confident tree climber in the family is a great asset come Elder Flower season!

Once you have obtained your blossoms you simply give them a shake to allow any bugs to escape and layer in a clean jar with caster sugar. You should shake the jar periodically and remove the flowers after a few days.

The finished sugar can be used in lots of ways including in baking, but we like to use it to add a seasonal twist to some of our favourite camp fire treats! Its great sprinkled on campfire popcorn served from a sycamore leaf cone.

Its also yummy on our much loved campfire toffee apples. You could experiment baking apples at home with Elder Flower Sugar. Let us know what you make!