FORAGING FOR ELDERFLOWERS

I love elderflowers, the way they hover like flowery clouds in elder trees, a soft welcome to the early summer.

The elder tree is native to the British Isles. They grow to a height of about 15m and live for about 60 years. In ancient times the elder tree was considered to be incredibly sacred. The Great Goddess or the Elder Mother who presides over the mysteries of life, death and re-birth was believed to inhabit the tree. Elders were often planted near houses, farms or stables to ward off malevolent forces and it was said that wearing elderflowers in your hair kept you safe from harm and evil spirits. It was believed anyone cutting down an elder without the Elder Mother’s consent would invite her persecution or perhaps the devil himself might appear.

The elder, like many trees, was surrounded by important and powerful meaning and honoured by people as a result. These ancient myths surrounding the magical elder tree only add to its charm.

But it was more than that too; the bark, leaves, flowers and berries were used for a wide range of medicinal purposes and seen as a gift from the Elder Mother. It was seen to have an abundance of healing properties and treasured accordingly. Nowadays it’s the elderflowers and elderberries that court our attention and are mainly used for delectable drinks and jams.

As we enter June, we’ll see great puffs of elderflower laced through town and country alike. Unashamedly peeping out through lush foliage as it grows just about everywhere. It’s a joy to be outside at this time of year and forage for elderflowers and it’s easy enough to make a day of it with family and a delicious picnic.

How to identify and cut elderflowers.

If you’re not entirely sure on what an elderflower looks like, use images from the internet on your phone or an app such as ‘Picture This’ to identify them. When you’ve found some lovely white puffs of elderflower, take a sharp pair of scissors or secateurs and snip just below where all the small stems meet the main stem. You want to make sure there is as little of the main green stem in your recipe as possible. As ever with foraging, take only a few flower heads from each tree as you want as many elderberries as possible to form come the late summer. The berries are important food for a wide range of wildlife. Place the elderflowers in a basket to prevent them being crushed. Then take them home to turn into tasty cocktails or whatever else you might fancy.

Words by Mide Carter.