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"Cooking, in effect, took part of the work of chewing and digestion and performed it for us outside of the body, using outside sources of energy. Also, since cooking detoxifies many potential sources of food, the new technology cracked open a treasure trove of calories unavailable to other animals. Freed from the necessity of spending our days gathering large quantities of raw food and then chewing (and chewing) it, humans could now devote their time, and their metabolic resources, to other purposes, like creating a culture."

Michael Pollan

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Entries in elderflower (1)

Monday
May182020

Recipes for lockdown: Elderflower cordial

DateMonday, May 18, 2020 at 8:55PM

My first attempt at making elderflower cordial a few year’s ago didn’t go very well. I followed the key piece of advice I had been given, namely, to pick the flowers right at the beginning of the season just as they start opening. I was on the lookout every time I walked or ran along the Parkland Walk in Finsbury Park and, as soon as the little white flowers started blossoming, I started foraging.

I also took care to inspect the flower heads for insects and discarded any that looked like they might have a little colony. I then poured boiling water over them and leftover night to infuse. The next day I strained, added sugar and lemon juice and simmered to dissolve the sugar. The result was… sugar syrup. Not a hint of elderflower. I ended up using it as a sweetener for cocktails and thought no more about it until last year…

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AuthorVix | Comment15 Comments |
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