Making Elderberry Syrup

The elder has been busy.

A few weeks ago the hedgerows were full of creamy white flowers, and now those same branches are heavy with deep purple berries, bowing towards the lane as if offering themselves up.

This is one of my favourite jobs of late summer.

I gather only what I need, leaving plenty for the birds, and never take from the very first tree I find. Then it's home, a big pan, and the slow, patient work of stripping the berries from their stalks with a fork.

Simmered gently with a little water, some ginger, cinnamon and cloves, then strained and sweetened with local honey once it has cooled a little, the berries become a dark, glossy syrup that tastes of the season it came from.

A spoonful a day through autumn and winter has become a small ritual here.

It isn't complicated. It doesn't need special equipment. It simply needs noticing when the hedgerow is ready, and being willing to stop and take part.

That, to me, is what seasonal living really is.

Not a trend, but a conversation with the year.

— Jody Valentina