Make your own Natural Beverages.

Like a nice sparkling beverage on a summer’s evening? Love the smell of early summer? Well you can bottle that smell, and have it available year round.
Learn to Make Elderflower Cordial, Elderflower Champagne and Ginger Beer this year. The elderflowers are just coming into bloom, so now’s the time. Join me for a series of 3 classes – Tuesday June 8th, Thursday June 10th, and Tuesday June 15th at Mullingar Educate Together NS. Classes begin at 8:00pm, and the cost is €60. For further details, or to book, contact Anna Browne at annambrowne@gmail.com or 087 2222562. Deadline for booking is Thursday 3rd June.

Refreshments

Here are the recipes that I used for making Elderflower Cordial, and Ginger Beer. They are wonderfully simple to make, and use cheap or free ingredients. If you are concerned about the additives in commercial drinks, but are finding water a bit boring, here's a good compromise.

The Elderflower cordial has a myriad of uses - you can mix it with still or sparling water, it adds great flavour to an Apple Crumble or Gooseberry fool.

It's also mentioned as a remedy for hay fever or sinus problems, so the undergardener is drinking it to help with being stuffed up. I usually make a few batches, and freeze them in plastic bottles, so that we can have the taste of summer whenever we like.