Elder Flower Champagne

It's that time again. The beautiful Elder flowers are in bloom. !  Making a mildly alcoholic (1.5 -3.5%) very refreshing champagne is simple.  I have been making it for several years and the following is my recipe.

Elder flowers are also dried or tinctured (I fresh tincture) and used in cold/virus teas or compounded tincures.

First you will need a large glass container with a fairly wide opening at the top and at least a gallon in size.  Walmart, Zellers and Costco all have versions of the container at left for a reasonable price.

You will also need a piece of breathable cotton or a double layer of cheesecloth to cover the top, air has to flow thru.


Jill's Elder Flower Champagne

4 quarts/litres of hot water
4 cups/ or 1000 ml sugar
2 tablespoons White Wine Vinager
2 Lemons sliced thin (wash off any wax)
1 Lime sliced thin                 "
25 Fresh Elder Flower Blossoms
2 Quarts/litres cold water

Place sliced lemons, lime, flower blossoms and vinager in glass container.  Dissolve sugar in hot water and pour over flowers etc, stir well and add the cold water.  Cover container opening with cotton covering and hold in place with an elastic.  Set in cool spot out of direct sun, let sit for two days if a foam has not formed on top, add a pinch of brewer's yeast to get things going.  After foam has set, let sit four more days, stain through coffee filters and store in large plastic pop bottles, check every couple of days and open the lid a bit to let out excess gas, do this until the gas is very little, store for another month and then enjoy ice cold

Fresh Today - Sorrel, Chives, Apple Mint, Asperagus, Rhubarb

Today's special herb is Sorrel, largely under rated, this lemony flavoured herb is excellent in a mixed green salad.  Full of vitamins C, A and B9, plus minerals Iron, Calcium and Magnesium, this herb should be on every table.

Easy BBQ or Oven Fish with Sorrel

Oil a piece of foil or a casserole dish big enough to cover your fish fillets.
Line with Fresh Sorrel
Lay Fish fillets's on top
Sprinkle with fresh pepper, a little chopped garlic and chives
Drizzle with Olive Oil
Cover with more Sorrel
Wrap Fillets for BBQ or cover casserole dish with foil.
(This is also a nice way to do boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

BBQ over hot coals or bake in oven at 375
White wine can also be sprinkled over the fish with the olive oil if preferred

Do you enjoy Mojitos?  Muddle them up with Apple Mint for a signature cocktail!

That's it for today, - Enjoy!

Ukkie Pukey Sick? Ginger!

This past week, my sweet little granddaughter had the Flu.  Cold, chills, lethargy, intermittent high fevers, diarrhoea and ewwwww, the Ukkie Pukies.  She could not keep down anything, not even ginger ale, not even Popsicles or apple sauce (even with cinnamon!).  Although I generally believe that fever during illness is a good thing, helping the body rid itself of the nasty toxins, bacteria and virus which make us sick in the first place, I was really worried her inability to retain anything on her stomach would result in dehydration and a trip to the hospital for rehydration through an IV.  Traumatic and scary for 6 year olds (or six year olds of all ages).

The answer of course was Ginger tea made from fresh grated root (powdered ginger can also be used) with a little honey.  I fed her the tea by the tablespoon at 15 minute intervals for 1 1/2 hours, after which she had a very long nap and awoke able to sip her tea herself. 

Ginger Root (Zingiber officinale) has been used forever for nausea and vomiting caused by travel sickness, influenza, La Grippe, morning sickness (yes you can have it when pregnant!) and it will also help with post-chemo therapy vomiting   The other great thing about Ginger is that it is also a vasodilator, which means it promotes perspiration, thus lowering fever and stops the diarrhoea.  Not only that, but it improves appetite.
Ginger has a lovely flavour and fragrance - children generally like it.

What is the dosage?  For a child weaker teas work fine, I made the following and gave it to her throughout the day  for two days and once or twice in the days following her illness to help with recuperation.

! teaspoon fresh Ginger  Root, peeled and grated (measure after grating) (1/2 teaspoon ground)
2 cups boiling water
1 tsp. Honey (preferably unpasteurised)
Let tea steep in tea pot or other covered dish until luke warm, strain as you use it returning the ginger to the pot.  Start initial dosage by the tablespoon at 15 minute intervals for an hour or so and then as tolerated