Rosebay Willowherb Cordial by Sylva Fae

Rosebay Willowherb Cordial

By Sylva Fae

While out wandering in the English countryside, rosebay willowherb (also called fireweed) is a familiar sight. Its deep magenta flowers on tall stems stand out well against the leafy greens, and it’s quite easy to identify. As with all wild edibles, only harvest what you need taking just a few from each area so as not to deprive the bees and local wildlife of their meal. This is a recipe in two parts that creates a honey-like syrup and a cordial.

Ingredients – the syrup

• 1 ½ cups – Rosebay willowherb flowers and buds - strip them from the stems.

Avoid the bits below the flowers as they are bitter.

• 1 cup – Sugar • 1 ½ cups – Water • 1 tbsp – Lemon juice (add zest if you like it tangy)

Instructions

1. Shake the flowers to remove any bugs, then swirl them in a bowl of water to wash them. Strain the clean flowers. 2. Put the water and sugar into a saucepan and bring to the boil. 3. Once boiling, add the flowers and lemon juice. The lemon increases the intensity of the colour. Boil for 10 – 15 minutes, or until the colour has drained from the flowers. 4. Strain the thin syrup into a clean pan (using muslin / jam bag / coffee filter) and allow to cool.

This is the base for your cordial – just add iced water depending on how strong you want it. You can use this as a base for lemonade by adding ½ a cup of rosebay willowherb syrup to ½ a cup of fresh lemon juice and 1 ½ cups of water.

If you want a longer lasting syrup, follow the instructions above but continue to boil the mixture after you strain it. The longer you boil, the thicker it will become. It tastes delicious drizzled over natural yoghurt, or it can be diluted as above to make a refreshing cordial.