Homemade Flädersaft aka Elderberry Juice

Flädersaft! A Swedish summer tradition!

fläder = elderberry

saft = juice/ concentrate

I've never actually made my own juice before (unless you count powdered lemonade), and hadn't thought to make it until coming to Sweden where everyone talks about their flädersaft. Have I ever even tasted elderberry before moving to Sweden? I think not. Is this homemade juice a new trend? Perhaps - and I like it! 

Fläder/ elderberry is a white flower of tiny petals that grow on bushes. The flowers come in late spring/ early summer, so the time is now - and going fast. To start with our creation, Greta and I gathered 50 of these blooms, easily accessible right in our neighborhood. We then mixed these blooms with lemons, water, lots of sugar, and some other stuff I don't know the name of in English. And - viola! - we got this:

After stirring this mix of deliciousness once a day for 5 days (thank you G!) and draining it (again, I cannot take credit for this part either), we had one heck of a juice, or rather a concentrate to mix with aqua. 

And so it was time for the official taste test (see above). After much deliberation between our choices: this year's homemade juice, G's homemade juice from last year, and a store-bought version, we decided (without prejudice) that our batch was the best! I now have my first partially frozen batch of elderberry concentrate in my freezer. Come rain or shine (more likely rain of late), I have a small taste of summer to last through the year.

NB- Mix with bubble water for an extra kick!