Best time to pick Elderflower?

[dmrevis]

When is the best time to pick elderflower? There are nice full blooms out here but i've picked a couple and they arent that fragrant yet. Infact not at all really. When is the best time to pick for best flavour/aroma and yeast content?

 

[tubby_shaw]

When it's not raining hard :P

But seriously, they will be at their best about now :thumb:
Wait for the rain to stop give them a day of sun and they will be great.
Iirc there are a few varieties of elderflower, some more aromatic than others and some that smell like tom cat p155 :sick:

 

[dmrevis]

i've heard that about cat pee, but to be honest i dont know what that smells like! I'll have to hunt around for the best elder trees then, didnt know there were so many types.

 

[tubby_shaw]

i've heard that about cat pee, but to be honest i dont know what that smells like!

You'll know when you find one :shock: :sick:

 

[falafael]

come to my house, you'll soon know what cat pi** smells like, bloody cats ruining my garden! :twisted:

 

[Stoney]

Hello,

I went and picked some last weekend for my champayne.....it wasnt in full bloom the tree I was picking from but nearly.

 

[dmrevis]

I still cant find any blooms with a distinct elderflower smell. I'm sure i've got the right tree they just all smell rather dull.

 

[commsbiff]

Just smelt the ones in my garden. VERY fragrant, though not sure I'd describe it as cat wee though :sick:

 

[Stoney]

I thought the same thing while I was picking it...It didnt seem to smell very much...It looks a lot like that Cow Parsly so I had to check online and when I got back I had the right stuff.

 

[dmrevis]

is there anything specific to look out for on the type of elderflower that does smell nice (and of actual elder not cat pee).

 

[Stoney]

Before I went out I looked on google images...then I cruised down to a local woods. Although I didnt actually find the elderflower there but in surrounding overgrown fields...there was loads of that groundelder/cow parsly or whatever it is...I even picked a few and then in the distance there was a big bush with white flowers on...I went closer and it was basically a tree...the bark was quite ragg'd (check google images) and the flowers were only very slightly diferent to what id already been checking...although I remembered the yellow buds on google images. I wasnt still sure but I picked it anyway and when back and double checked..

Funny enougth on my way back just at the bottom of my road there was loads and id never even knew until then.

 

[dmrevis]

well i've deffo been sniffing elderflower. it just doesnt smell that elderflowery!

 

[paulbrrtt]

Hi all, I also since taking this up have been looing for elderflower, never noticed it before but now I know what it looks like Im seeing it everywhere. Anywy I picked a sprig to show my wife and noticed there wernt much smell off it at the time but a few hrs later when I got to show her there was a lovely perfumed smell off it (bit like parma violets). So maybe it gets more pungent when picked.

 

[Hawks]

Elderflower is best picked on a sunny day and have a look to make sure as many of the separate flowers are as open as possible.

I've also had some that smelt of cat p*ss but thought that was just from using too many heads in the brew, as I made 2 batches from a huge bag I collected - one was lovely and fragrant, the other smelt like my cats had been in the garage filling up bottles and laughing at me sneakily....

 

[Doobury]

Hi all,
This is my first post, having had a quick look around I am very impressed with the forum.
I have never made a brew from Elderflower. I picked my elderflower Wed 3rd June on a loverly sunny day, did my infusion to make 25 L of Elderflower Champagne (added 2 kg white sugar I did not take OG, no hydrometer) hopping to use their natural yeasts. No obvious fermentation after 3 to 4 days so brought some Champagne yeast and pitched it as I was worried about it spoiling, fermentation still slow @ about 20 C. Yesterday, I lost my nerve and strained the brew into a fermentation vessel fitted with an airlock. At this point the OG was 1045 (having brought a new hydrometer) Does anyone think the brew will be any good as I don't want to waste valuable swing top bottles and space. Hope someone can help.