[GB]

I have heard that one can pickle elder buds but cant seem to find a recipe for doing so.  So does anyone here have a nice recipe and have any of you ever pickled them and are they nice?

Thanking you in advance

[DD.]

Never heard of that one, but welcome to the forum anyway, if it exists, I'm sure someone here will have heard of it!

[WG.]

Elder Bud Pickle
Collect enough elder buds to fill a small le parfait or kilner jar. Snip them off their stems down to small florets and wash thoroughly. Put into a saucepan with 1 tp Mace, 1 tsp peppercorns, 1 tsp seasalt and the pared and shredded rind of a lemon (try to avoid the bitter pith). Top up with the vinegar of your choice, white wine or cider, or even malt vinegar if you like the taste. Bring to a swift boil, and take immediately from the heat. strain off the liquid and allow it and the buds to cool separately (doing this stops the liquid from overcooking the buds). Put the buds into your sterilized jar (don't use one with a metal lid - as I said Le Parfait or Kilner with a rubber seal is best). Pour over the vinegar liquid - add or remove any of the spices as you prefer, and seal securely. Leave for a month or so to mature and develop the flavour, but the longer the better.

They are a bit like pickled capers or nasturtium seeds, and would prob go equally well with fishy dishes, but I like it as salad pickle variant in a ploughmans type meal. It goes exceptionally well with a really tangy mature cheese and if the buds aren't overcooked, they should still have a pleasing crunchy texture. I don't tend make this in large amounts because I'm the only picklehead in our house. I also tweak the mix with the addition of garlic and chilli - possibly not to everyones taste - but you can be bold and experiment!

Elder flower pickle - (haven't got round to trying this one yet - if you do, could you report back please!?)
Gather enough flowerheads to fill a smallish jar (as above). Shake them lightly to remove unwanted guests, give them a light rinse, and snip down to smallish florets. Fill your jar. Boil some white wine or cider vinegar and pour over the flowers in the jar. Pop the lid on loosely and leave for an hour to cool, then strain off the vinegar and use the florets in a tossed salad. Keep the vinegar for another occasion


On no account eat any parts of the Elder raw as it contains toxins which cooking destroys. There has been some discussion about the berries eaten raw and reports of unpleasant side effects from people who've done so in quantity so again, take care!

[Little Miss Muffet]

welcome in gb see i told you they would be able to tell you on here

[GB]

The pickle recipe looks fab  Thanks heaps for that

And you were absolutely right, Little Miss Muffet, great site, helpful people.
I never will get the house done at this rate :oops:  

[Little Miss Muffet]

i know i have4 the same problem :oops: