Ingredients
- 10 Mexican elderflower heads, or 4 to 5 black elderflower heads
- 1-3/4 cups apple cider vinegar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)
Directions
- Remove flowers from the stalk and small stems by rubbing gently with your thumb and forefinger in a downward motion over a bowl. They should drop without much effort. Don’t wait until flower heads are slightly wilted.
- Pack flowers loosely into a pint jar.
- Add vinegar and optional maple syrup, then place a lid on the jar. Shake jar gently to mix syrup and vinegar. Add more vinegar if necessary to fill jar to the top.
- Place in a cool, dark place for 2 to 3 weeks. Strain and discard the flowers. Transfer infused vinegar into a clean bottle or glass container, cap tightly, and store in refrigerator or other cool, dark place at temperatures below 65 degrees Fahrenheit for about 6 months, or up to a year in perfect storage conditions.
Each year, I infuse a batch of elderflower vinegar with blossoms from local Mexican elder (Sambucus mexicana), which I think are milder than black elder (S. nigra) and have their own flavor accents. This is a classic recipe in Europe.
When foraging elderflowers, make sure they’re newly opened and full of pollen. Collect them in the morning on a sunny day and place them into a paper bag.
My method to get rid of tiny flies on the flowers is to place the latter in a bowl outdoors for an hour or so, and most of the little critters will vacate. Another technique is to gently shake the flowers. Don’t run the flowers under water, as you’ll wash off the pollen and much of the flavor. Use the flowers as soon as possible after harvesting.
You can substitute white wine, rice, or champagne vinegar for apple cider in this elderflower vinegar recipe. Either raw or pasteurized vinegar will work.
More from Wildcrafted Vinegars
Create your own infused vinegar recipes to punch up your cooking. Flavored vinegar recipes are limited only by your imagination and foraging abilities.
Pascal Baudar is a forager, wildcrafter, and teacher of traditional food preservation techniques. He’s the author of four books. This excerpt is reprinted from Wildcrafted Vinegars (Chelsea Green Publishing).
Originally published as “Unique Infused Vinegars” in the August/September 2023 issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS magazine and regularly vetted for accuracy.
