When we talk about eating local, we are usually referring to using ingredients that can be bought at the shops. However, this is not always the case, for supplies of local food are available at nature’s store, too!
Mid-summer through early autumn is a marvellous time of year for finding food in the wild and, as long as you’re sensible and respectful, you can enjoy flavour-packed ingredients for free.
Just now, we are seeing lots of luscious elderberries, their smooth round berries shining in clusters like highly-polished gems. And gems these berries are, as they can be used in all manner of ways, from cheeky liqueurs to sumptuous puddings.
Elderberries are not farmed, so if you want to avail yourself of this most natural of ingredients, you’ll need to go out and find some for yourself (or beg some off a country-loving friend!).
A few words of warning - always cook the berries to ensure any toxins are removed, only use fully ripe ones and do not eat any leaves, bark or stalks – use a fork to remove them. To be extra-safe, unless you are using in a recipe that involves cooking them thoroughly, it’s worth microwaving the berries before use – just long enough to ensure they are hot without pulverising them.
To add to recipes before baking, sprinkle elderberries into crumbles, fold into muffins and mix into puddings. You can also use them in jams and chutneys. Simmered down with sugar they make a flavoursome side accompaniment to meat and game such as duck.
Elderberry syrup is delightful and easily produced by simmering the berries with water and sugar before straining the liquid to remove the berries then returning it to the pan. A rolling boil is needed until the liquid has reduced and the syrup has formed. Elderberry syrup is very versatile – be imaginative! Stir into your porridge, drizzle over fruit and ice cream and splash into the bottom of a glass before topping up with sparkling wine for a flavour of the hedgerows.
It’s no secret that we’re big fans of sloe gin here at Local Food Britain, but those in the know appreciate the need to wait until the first frosts before gathering sloe berries because it matures the flavour. The good news is that elderberry gin can be made as soon as the berries are ripe. Simply wash around 200g of berries, microwave as mentioned earlier, and add them to a sterile bottle with a bottle of gin (or vodka) and 100g sugar. Give it a shake and leave to steep for around three months – your gin will be ready to bestow a local flavour on your festive celebrations. Cheers!
Read our article on sloe gin
Tags: elderberries
elderberry gin
foraging
