Raw, Sugar-free, Fermented, Elderflower Cordial for a Healthy Gut
In this blog post you will learn how to make a super healthy, delicious fermented Elderflower cordial in around 5 minutes flat (plus waiting time!) First though, a quick explanation of what your microbiome is and why fermented drinks are so good for you and how to recognise an Elder tree. The recipe is at the end. Bear in mind that you have to wait a few days for your cordial to ferment before you can enjoy drinking it.
This Elderflower cordial is great for your gut
A happy microbiome is the key to health
Fermented foods and drinks really are keystone to gut health, which in turn protects against loads of diseases and creates vitality, clear focus and energy. It’s all to do with the microbiome. Hailed as the medical discovery of the 21st century, this is the collective name of all the microorganisms living in your intestines. We are host to trillions of tiny bacteria, fungi, moulds, protozoa, yeasts and viruses that live all over our skin and mucous membranes. There’s actually more of them than there is of us!
Us humans are meant to live in harmonious symbiosis with all these little beings. It is all to do with the balance of how many beneficial or disease carrying microbes are present at any one time. Your microbiome is living and changing every day, so it is important to always eat and drink the kinds of things that nourish the beneficial gut flora, to keep their numbers in the majority. For instance, most people will have heard of the yeast Candida albicans. This is always present in the gut and does not cause a problem unless there is an overgrowth, which can be caused by too many sweet foods in the diet.
Fermented foods and drinks feed the beneficial microbes. As well as this Elderflower cordial, try these other probiotics: sauerkraut, yoghurt (made from organic soya or coconut), miso, tamari, kimchi, kombucha, organic fermented tofu or tempeh. Herbs and spices such as Turmeric (Curcuma longa), Pau d’arco (Tabebuia impetiginosa), and Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) also work to keep your gut flora in top condition.
How to Recognise the Elder Tree (Sambucus nigra)
Elder leaves grow opposite each other.
Sambucus nigra is the European Elder. It is native to the UK and has a widespread distribution across temperate and subtropical regions too. The Elder tree, which produces these medicinal flowers and black coloured berries (that ripen in September), grows as a large shrub or small tree with graceful, arching branches that are spaced quite wide apart. It can be found in woodland, hedgerows, wasteland and gardens.
Bark of the Elder tree is speckled and rough.
The leaves are arranged opposite each other with 5 or 7 on a leaflet and one leaf on the end. They have serrated edges and smell nasty. Elder bark is quite distinctive with its light brown, speckled rough surface. Inside, the sticks are either hollow or have a white pith inside. Don’t use this wood for burning though because the smoke smells noxious!
To harvest Elderflowers: snap off the whole umbel here above the leaf node.
Elderflowers are frothy, cream coloured blossoms with a distinctive, slightly fizzy scent and appear in late May. The flowers are actually really tiny and are attached to loads of stalks arranged in an umbrella shape called an umbel, so they appear to be pretty big; from around 10cm up to 30cm across.
The Recipe ~ How to Make Raw, Sugar-Free Fermented, Elderflower Cordial
Preparation time 5 minutes. Waiting time 3-5 days.
Gather everything else you need for the recipe first, then go and pick your Elderflowers so you can use them as fresh as possible. Check that the blossoms are perfect with no brown bits or bugs. Choose flowers where the buds have all fully opened then snap off the umbel where it joins above the leaves, as shown in the photo.
Ingredients for the elderflower cordial
Ingredients
10 heads of Elderflowers
10 organic dates
½ an organic lemon
1 ½ L spring water
(Use spring water because the chlorine in tap water will inhibit the fermentation process.)
Equipment
1½ L Kilner jar
Knife and chopping board
Sieve
Elderflower cordial. Note the fermentation bubbles on day 5.
Method
Cut the main stalks off the Elderflowers (little ones are fine to leave on) and put them in the jar with the dates. Slice the lemon and add that with the spring water. Close the lid and that’s it!
Now you have to wait a few days. The liquid will go cloudy and bubbles will rise to the top when its ready. Strain off into a jug or bottle it and store in the fridge. Put the spent plant matter in the compost.
What does it taste like?
This fermented Elderflower cordial tastes refreshing, sour and tangy with a floral undercurrent. I love it and find it very moreish but, being totally honest here, if you are used to sweet flavours, you may find it a bit strong. However, it is worth getting used to. And remember, the more you cut down on sugar in your diet, the healthier you will be, and your taste buds will also change to appreciate more subtle and sophisticated flavours.