How wonderful to be with a DofE group today who were keen to understand and try out out edible wild plants. The small delicate flowers of the Elder were boiled up with sugar and a lemon flavoured drink powder (they didn’t have an orange or lemon). The elder flower water tasted good and hopefully will be a refreshing drink for the morrow.
Every district in Britain has a difference local name for the elder, perhaps the most widespread of our shrubs. Bour Tree, Borral, Bull Tree, Devil’s Wood, Dog Tree, Eller, Judas Tree, Scaw, Tea Tree and Trammon. But I like God’s Stinking Tree from Dorset the best.
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