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Elderflower Cordial Harvest and Storage Procedure

Definitions​

So, what do I define as a "flower" well in this case I am thinking about the so-called inflorescences of Sambucus nigra. Inflorescence is apparently botany speak for a cluster of flowers in this case.

European black elderberry

Harvesting​

Now with what flower we are even talking about defined let’s talk about the harvesting of them. Cat simply cuts off a cluster of flowers and trims the stem off to the point where all the individual clusters join to a single point per inflorescence. Its rly that simple.

Storage​

So how does Cat store these because yes Cat stores the flowers and makes the cordial recipe on demand actually not all at once. Cat used to do storage via just throw it in a bag and freeze the bag but well that method has its flaws. What Cat does these days is vacuum seal all the flowers you will want for one batch. Or in Cats case as Cat always makes them in sets of 2 its 2 batches per bag.

Once vacuum sealed and frozen the flowers easily store for a year frozen in the freezer before you make cordial from them. To make cordial from them you literally thaw them with the boiling sugar solution and do a bit of stirring potentially before you let it sit forgotten for 3 days according to the recipe.

Vacuum sealing also has one other funny benefit. HOLY FUCK the amount of storage you earn back compared to the bag method. You also get less other negative freezer effects due to the sealed nature of the bags.

Do note that your vacuum sealer is going to hate you for this one if its not up to the task. My current Anova Vacuum Sealer Pro is happy with it but my previous OBH Nordica budget sealer did NOT like this in the end. Because that machine had barely enough pump health left in it to pump down an empty bag down to a sufficient vacuum to trigger it to seal.

How long does the final product and the flowers store?​

I don’t know is the honest truth because I haven’t cared to test it. As in while I have tested a year or 2 I think for the flowers and like a year for the final product I have not tested what the true limits are. And I would expect that the flowers loose potency before they actually turn into something bad.