Do you have elderflowers blooming in your neighborhood? They are everywhere here, and I love their unique scent– a little bit lemony, kind of peach, with just a hint of banana… And so very pretty. We have tons of elder trees all around us, and so we have gone picking twice already. The first haul was on the small side, so I decided to try a batch of lacto-fermented soda with those blossoms. It turned out really wonderfully, so now I will share how to make your own. This is super easy, and anyone can do it, I promise!
So, the fun part is to take some time gathering elderflowers. Few things are more enjoyable and relaxing than gathering flowers or other edibles outdoors. Never leave an area bare– take some gently, and move on to another spot to find more.
We gathered our elderflowers in the same place we went for the berries last year, used to make a very successful Elderberry Wine. This area is a short walk from home, and such a luxury to me! As the trees were only just beginning to bloom we came home with a pretty small pile, but it was enough for a solid batch of soda.
What You’ll Need:- A bunch of elderflowers, thickest stems removed. (Considered toxic, especially American varieties.) We probably had 6 fluffy cups worth of flowers.
- Filtered or fresh water. I used about 1/2 a gallon. This is fairly flexible.
- Sugar, local raw honey (if you don’t have a good source, you can order it online here,) or evaporated cane juice. We used part local honey and part evaporated cane juice, about a total of 1/2 cup.
- Whey. You can get this by just draining some off of your yogurt. I used 1/4 cup.
Here is how to make it.
1. Put your flowers in a large bowl, and give them a very quick rinse.
2. Heat some water to boiling, and pour it over your flowers, enough to cover them completely. Cover them with a dishtowel and leave to steep for 24 hours or up to 48 hours.
3. Strain out the flowers, so you have a nice elderflower tea.
4. Add the juice of one lemon into your tea, and add sweetener. I added some local honey and then some raw sugar crystals. You want it sweet, but nothing crazy. Keep in mind that the sugars here will be digested to make the fizz you’re after, so you want it a bit sweeter than your end product. We like our drinks to be barely-sweet, so this is very individual.
5. Pour all of this liquid into a glass container or demijohn, and add a couple tablespoons of whey. Cover loosely, and put it in your cupboard.
6. Wait. Taste. Wait. I made one small batch and one larger, and the small one fermented in one week, while the larger one took two. When it’s a barely sweeter than you want your final product, pour the soda into swing-top (grolsch-style) bottles and let it sit for another day or two, to develop some good fizz. You must use this kind of bottle— it could explode otherwise.
Be careful when you open it! Ours got super fizzy, and required some controlled gas release, basically opening it a tiny bit, letting it bubble up, and closing again… It’s incredibly gratifying to produce that kind of carbonation naturally, just using sugar and whey! Keep these bottles in the refrigerator, and keep in mind that the fermentation process will continue– so don’t make more than you can drink in a week– it’s easy to start another batch. If you want to take advantage of the elderflower season, you could steep the blossoms and freeze the tea, thawing it for a new batch of soda when you’re ready. I haven’t tried drying them and making a tea that way, but that is also worth a shot!
And there you have it! This method can be adapted for so many different kinds of drinks. You can also save a little of your soda to use to culture your next batch. Right now I am making a Rhubarb Soda with Mint. A lot of the natural soda recipes out there require special cultures, but this one is so easy and accessible. I hope you’ll try it!
For more fermented beverage projects, you may want to check out: True Brews and Real Food Fermentation. And to get more probiotics into your life, full of projects and ideas.
This post was shared at: Homestead Barn Hop, Thank Goodness it’s Monday, Mostly Homemade Mondays, Fat Tuesday, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Well Fed Wednesday, Sustainable Living Linkup.
What a beautiful post! Thank you for such inspiration and instruction. xx
I didn’t know it was a ptobiotic! I’m seriously going to have to try this!
If you want it contain probiotic, don’t use honey. Honey has natural antibiotics and will kill probiotics
Several sources say that Elderflower is antibacterial and antiviral if you look for them, too. I think that as long as you aren’t trying to reuse the old culture with honey (replacing it with the whey you drained off the yoghurt) some degree of antibacterial properties are acceptable.
But yes, while I wouldn’t say it has no probiotics, I would probably look to another beverage if I wanted that out of them.
Isn’t the carbonation proof that little critters have indeed colonized in there?
I have been wanting to try homemade soda and there are elderberries blooming all over the place here. If I can find some away from major roadways I’m giving this a try this weekend!
This looks more my speed than the syrup i’ve made with them before, which is then mixed with mineral water to drink. Same effect, bubble-wise, but less sweet and good for the guts!
Wow, beautiful! I made some elderflower cordial recently and love the idea of making it into a probiotic soda
If dairy is a no-can-do (not just the lactose) can you use a probiotic capsule instead of whey?
We’re non-dairy too, and with elderberry in our backyard, I’d also love to hear about any substitutes for the whey.
Have a look into using Water Kefir Cultures ^.^
You can use a “ginger bug” as your starter – the first time it adds some time to the process (about a week), but once you get one going, you’ll always have it on hand for vegan soda-making.
You can also try using some of the juice from a fermented vegetale– just about a teaspoon or so shouldn’t affect the flavor of your drink, but will introduce the cultures you need. Also, the amount of whey is *very* small, so some might be able to get away with it.
Have a look into using Water Kefir Cultures ^.^
I’m wondered if you could use the whey from non-dairy yogurt, especially soy. I make my own and drain it greek-style or a little thinker. I usually drink the whey and sometimes add some to the next batch. Seems like it should work – probiotics are probiotics, regardless of whether or not some poor cow gave her all for it.
I make this without boiling water( boil then cool the water to under 80F\27C) and omit the whey. I’ve done this many times. because the flower heads have natural yeast. Look up Elderflower champagne.
Love this, Ariana! We just bought a farm – there have to be elderflowers somewhere around here!!!
I love making fermented sodas and this one would be fun to try! My neighbor gives me her elderflowers which I end up dehydrating. Will have to try this one…thanks for posting!
Looks fabulous!
Just beautiful! I love the flavour fo elderflower. Wish I knew where to find them near me.
Nice! I’ve made elderberry syrup. Healthy and nice flavor…
Where can i buy “ginger bug”?
Nice blog you have here! Other probiotic drinks would be Yakult a probiotic dairy product made by fermenting a mixture of skimmed milk with a special strain of the bacterium Lactobacillus casei Shirota. .. which is wonderful, It contain probiotics properties, Additionally can treat common digestive problems, such as diarrhea, bloating and an upset stomach.
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Ohhh, please post the Rhubarb soda recipe!
OMG, YIKES! The stems of elderberry plants are TOXIC. I can not believe you’re not STRICTLY recommending to REMOVE THEM ALL.
Hi Heather! I have read lots of elderflower recipes and it is recommended to remove the thick stems, as I do, and even more when they are older, with berries on them. Maybe this concern comes down to different species, but elderflower fritters are pretty popular, and I have read no reports of people getting ill from them. The bark is poisonous, and the further you get from the base of the tree, the less cyanide content there is in the plant material. Tiny amounts are in many foods that we eat. I am not recommending that anyone eat the stems.
Here’s a nice recipe for elderflower fritters. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/jun/19/nigel-slater-elderflower-fritter-classic
Do you use a stopper or keep it open when fermenting the soda in the demijohn?
any idea how many ounces “6 fluffy cups” are? we don’t have any around here so I was going to order some
If they are dried, I would use about half the amount.
I’m an American living in Romania. They make this every spring and have for who knows how long (centuries?). Here, they do not add any whey or ginger bug and it will ferment.
Ooh, interesting!
I just made some elderflower soda, and I did not use whey or any probiotic help. There is yeast on flower blossoms, and I just relied on that. Last month I made Lilac vinegar using nothing but pasteurized apple juice and Lilac blossoms to make vinegar. So if you don’t wash the flower blossoms, you save the naturally occurring yeast.
Getting back to the Elderflower soda, I just used the flowers, around 5 or 6 big umbels, flowers removed from stems, water, organic cane sugar, 2 or 3 cups, and one lemon I made the simple syrup using just water and sugar, and when cool I added the lemon and blossoms.
Using a plastic water bottle will let you know when it is carbonated and you can keep it in the refrigerator. So glad to see someone wrote that you can make the elderflower “tea” and then freeze it for later batches even though the flowers are no longer available fresh. I had not thought of that. Thank you for that comment!
I like to find the more mature blossoms so the petals can just be “petted” off the stems – and no berries sacrificed!
If You can’t have dairy what could you use To replace the whey?
Use the liquid from some sauerkraut or other veggie ferment. The very small amount you use won’t affect the flavor.
See my comment I just added to answer that.
Hi, I Made this and it’s brown instead of yellow. Will the color change after 2 weeks?
Sorry for the late reply! Yes, it usually does as the liquid becomes more acidic. Did yours?
When the Elderflowers combine with hot or boiling water, they will turn brown. Mine did not, because I combined the flowers with room temperature water and sugar and lemon . I let it sit for a day and then put the water up to the one gallon mark on the container and let it sit for a couple more days. I didn’t use any added probiotics, just the yeast that was on the unwashed flowers.. After you strain it through cheese cloth or the equivalent, you can bottle it in a plastic gallon bottle (water comes in) or a bottle with the kind of top that keeps it from exploding if the carbonation becomes too intense. I forget what you call that kind of bottle. With the plastic bottle you can squeeze it and see if it is hard, and then you had better put it in the refrigerator to arrest the carbonation from getting more intense.
Hello! I tried your recipe and my batch went moldy after only two days. What did I do wrong? I want to try again but am afraid the same thing will happen without refrigeration. Is it possible to make it if you ferment in the fridge for the two weeks?
Hi Emily,
How discouraging! A few things to consider are good sterilization technique, and putting an airlock on your demijohn to keep out outside bacteria while it ferments. In the future, if you see a little mold, just strain it off and keep going. Eventually the good bacteria should take over. The other thing is to add more of the culture you’re using to ferment with, so that bacteria population is stronger from the outset. And you should not do it using refrigeration– the conditions that keep the undesirable bacteria from growing will also keep the good ones from growing. Good luck!
I covered mine with a coffee filter and an elastic, maybe that’s where I went wrong. If I don’t have an airlock will a rubber glove be good enough? I’ve read a glove can help the gas release.
Sure you can. If the glove looks like it’s super inflated, then you need to release some gas, but otherwise should be fine.
Hi is there anyway to preserve the soda for longer shelf time or refrigeration time
Lila, I haven’t found a way to do that well. When I have a “slow” soda (one that just hasn’t gotten super fizzy), I can keep it in the fridge for months. Using only honey will produce a slower one, but I don’t have a method that is “tried and true” for this.
It will slow down the progress, and I don’t know how it got moldy after two days. Maybe your container was not clean enough??
Well here I am. I have a jar fermenting in the cupboard. Grolsch bottles at the ready.
Question. .Do I strain the juice or just pour it into my bottles? and if I keep a bit back will that go into my next batch as a starter? .. Smells great and there’s been a lot of activity in the cupboard. .
And loads of elderflowers to be harvested in my area.
By the way I used buttermilk whey.
Having fun.
Love your Blog. Winter tonic kept all sniffles away last winter.
It’s all about the Elder Berry…
Is that the natural color of the elderberry after being fermented? That has to be one of the most beautiful yellow looking sodas i’ve ever seen. Maybe it is the addition of the lemon and the honey, but regardless – this looks so delicious! I definitely want to try making this at home. I’ve never found a use for elderflowers before, and now I have one!
Can I just double check the amount of whey needed, 1/4 cup or a couple tablespoons? Thanks
Hi Glenda,
The amount you use won’t matter too much, since the bacteria will reproduce quickly. You would be perfectly fine with a couple of tablespoons.
I freeze the raw elderflowers in bags of 20 “flowers” and thau them when needed
This is a very good tip! I will actually start using this
Hi, I do this every year, except I don’t use any whey. Just cold filtered water, lemon, sugar and the washed flowers. Combine them all in a glass jar and leave it in a warm place for 3-5 days and it’s all done. 5 liters of water, 500 grams of sugar, juice of one lemon and another lemon, finely sliced, 8 large flowers (more of they are small, the palm of my hand is a reference for large ones) and stir everyday. Wild yeast appears, and it may appear spoiled, but it’s not
Hi there! This is my first round with this soda. It’s about 2 days into its ferment. When I taste it what am I looking for? Thanks!
Love this Elder Flower Soda recipe , kind of amazing one . Thanks for sharing this . super excited to try this one.