Looking for the rest of the Superabundant newsletter?

Subscribe now to get original recipes, PNW food news, and ideas for the kitchen and garden!

In the folklore of plants, the elder is a much-storied tree. It’s said that elderberry wine is a gateway to the faerie world, and sprinkling a fire with elderberries invites faeries to one’s gathering. Depending on your relationship with the fae, this could be a good thing or a bad thing.

By the time Linnaeus got around to calling it Sambucus, the plant already had many ancient Germanic names: Dame Elder, Hylde Moer (“Elder Mother” in Danish), Old Lady and Frau Holle or Frau Holda. In English and Scandinavian tales, Elder Mother is a guardian being, and cutting down an elder tree was bad luck, unless the ax-wielder whispered the prayer, ‘Owd Gal, give me some of thy wood an oi will give thee some of moine when I graws inter a tree.’

In old English and Northern European folklore, terrible misfortune would befall anyone who cut an elder tree, let alone burn the wood or use it for any furniture. Danes once believed that if elder wood were used for building a cradle, the tree’s spirit would strangle the baby while it slept.

But for every baleful warning about the evil that lies inside them, there are dozens more extolling their beneficent magical powers. The Prussian earth-god Puschkayts was said to dwell beneath the elder’s roots; to gain his protection, the trees were commonly planted near homes. The fruits have been used in medicine for millennia (I make a throat-soothing cordial from the berries every year) and the flowers were even prone to superstition of their own (Cornish beekeepers rubbed the blossoms on the inside of their hives to persuade bees against swarming off). Elderflowers are still a beloved symbol of spring throughout Scandinavian countries, flavoring drinks, jellies and cakes or even being battered and fried into fritters.

Syrups are my preferred way to use elderflowers — they add a bit of flower faerie magic to everything they touch. I’m growing European elder (Sambucus nigra) but you can use blossoms from any elder species — before Heat Dome 2024 claimed it, my decorative (and anthocyanin-rich) “Black Lace” gave me the prettiest rose-colored syrup. When collecting elderflowers, it’s best to harvest in the cool of the morning, and be sure to gently shake the racemes to free any insect inhabitants. Foraging elderflowers is pollen-y business, so wear a mask if you’re prone to hay fever.

Use this sour mix like you would any other sour mix or drink syrup — it’s beautiful in cocktails, wine spritzers or sodas, or use it to flavor pudding, ice cream or fruit compotes. Makes about 1 quart of sour mix

Ingredients

6 cups fresh elderflowers, big stems removed

3 cups water

5 cups sugar

3 tablespoons citric acid granules OR 1 ½ cups lemon juice (if using lemon juice, reduce water by equal volume)

Instructions

1. Fill a large pitcher or jar with elderflowers, removing as many of the stems as you can manage.
2. In a medium-sized pot, bring the water, sugar and citric acid to a boil, stirring until it’s all dissolved. (If you’re using lemon juice instead of citric acid, wait to add it until the next step.)
3. Pour the hot syrup over the elderflowers and stir or swirl to ensure all of the blossoms are soaked. Affix a lid and cool to room temperature (if you’re using lemon juice instead of citric acid, add it here).
4. Refrigerate for at least overnight (preferably a couple days) and then strain through cheesecloth into a bottle. Store in the fridge and it’ll be good for about two or three weeks.

Don’t forget to subscribe!

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/05/22/superabundant-recipe-elderflower-sour-cocktail-syrup-springtime/