Autumn Cordial Recipes

autumn cordial recipes

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5 Autumn Cordial Recipes

Hello! Today I have decided to share some of my favorite autumn cordial recipes from around the web (links to the original are attached to each recipe). I know it is a little late for some of the berries now, but I have been a bit too busy with my little ones to have posted this earlier. They are definitely delicious though, so make sure to bookmark this page for next year! Are you ready to dive in? Here are some quick links to the recipes:

(P.S. If you would love to learn more about foraging and grow your foraging confidence, check out this online foraging course by The Herbal Academy.)

To make this blackberry and vanilla cordial, you will need:

  • 1 kg blackberries
  • 1.5 litres cold water
  • 500g sugar
  • 1 vanilla pod

To begin with, prepare your blackberries by rinsing them thoroughly. Then place them into a large pan and cover them with the water. Bring this solution to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes.

Next, strain the mixture through a fine sieve or muslin cheesecloth and return it to the pan (do not squeeze or it will make your cordial cloudy). Add the sugar and vanilla heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then bring it up to a boil and boil vigorously for about 10 minutes, skimming off any scum that rises.

Finally, remove from the heat, remove the vanilla pod and pour into a clean, sterilised bottle. It should last about 3 months if kept in a cool, dark place.

To make this blackberry and vanilla cordial, you will need:

  • 1 kg blackberries
  • 1.5 litres cold water
  • 500g sugar
  • 2 whole star anise

To begin with, prepare your blackberries by rinsing them thoroughly. Then place them into a large pan and cover them with the water. Bring this solution to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes.

Next, strain the mixture through a fine sieve or muslin cheesecloth and return it to the pan (do not squeeze or it will make your cordial cloudy). Add the sugar and star anise and heat the mixture gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Return it to a boil and boil vigorously for about 10 minutes, making sure to remove any scum.

Finally, remove from the heat, remove the star anise and pour into a clean, sterilised bottle. It should last about 3 months if kept in a cool, dark place.

To make elderberry cordial, you will need:

  • 500g elderberries
  • 500ml water
  • 350g sugar
  • 1/2 a lemon rind and 1tbsp lemon juice

To make the cordial, first strip the berries from their stalks using a fork and rinse them, then place them into a saucepan with the lemon rind. Next, cover them with water and simmer gently for about 30 minutes until the berries are soft and mushy.

Next, strain the liquid and place it back into the pan. Add the sugar and lemon juice, then bring to a gentle boil and simmer, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. You can then add more sugar or lemon juice according to your taste, before allowing the cordial to cool. Once it has completely cooled, pour it into a clean bottle to store.

If sealed and stored correctly in a cool, dark place, your cordial should last about 2 years. But, keep it refrigerated once opened.

P.S. Check out this amazing elderberry, elecampane and liquorice cough syrup by The Herbal Academy.

To make hawthorn berry cordial, you will need:

  • 400g of hawthorn berries
  • 2 tsp fresh, chopped ginger
  • 3 crushed cardamom pods
  • 1 cinammon stick
  • 3 cups of water
  • 1 cup of honey or sugar

To begin with, prepare your hawthorn berries by removing their stalks and rinsing them, then pour them into a pan along with the ginger and cover them with water. Bring this to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes until the berries turn to mush. (You can mash the berries every 10 minutes or so with a potato masher to help them along.)

Next, strain the mixture through a fine sieve or muslin cheesecloth, mashing it to extract as much liquid as possible, then measure it before returning the liquid to the pan. For every cup of liquid, add an equal cup of sugar or honey, then return the mixture to a boil. Allow it to simmer for about 5 minutes, then remove it from the heat and pour it into your bottle.

This should last for about 3 weeks in the fridge.

You can find another great hawthorn cordial recipe here. (External link)

To make your rowan berry cordial, you will need:

  • 1 kg of rowan berries
  • 1 kg of tart apples (e.g. crab apples)
  • 1 1/4 litres of cold water

To begin with, prepare your rowan berries by removing their stalks and rinsing them, then put them in a container and into the freezer for about 1 hour. This helps to mellow down any tart, astringenty bitterness. Meanwhile, chop up the apples and once the rowan berries have sufficiently mellowed, add them both to a large pan.

Then, cover them with the water, bring to a boil and simmer until the berries have turned mushy. Next, strain the mixture through a fine sieve or muslin cheesecloth by allowing it to drip for about 30 minutes (try not to squeeze too much, or the cordial will turn cloudy), then measure the liquid before returning the liquid to the pan.

For every litre of liquid, add 2 cups of sugar (or honey), stir the mixture and allow it to return to a boil, making sure to remove any scum. Then, remove it from the heat and pour it into your clean, sterilised bottle.

This should last for about 3 weeks if kept in a cool, dark place.

Summary

Well, there we go! I hope you enjoyed being inspired by these delicious autumn cordial recipes. I would love to know which you tried and if you also enjoyed them. You can share a comment below.

P.S. If you would love to be notified about new Nature Nook tutorials, you can subscribe to my blog and newsletter by clicking the button below x

Wild Berries - Easily identify our wild hedgerow berries

wild berries

Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links, so I may recieve a small commission if you choose to purchase any item. This will not affect the price you pay, but it will help me keep this site going x

About this tutorial

Hello! In this tutorial, we are going to meet some of the most common berries you are likely to find on a late summer or early autumn walk in the country. Are you ready? Lets get started!

Which are our most common hedgerow berries?

One of the best places to start looking for wild fruits and berries are the hedgerows bordering our roads and country lanes. And, if you take a stroll and keep your eyes open in late summer and autumn, you are sure to see all sorts of wild fruit adorning the twigs and branches. Some of these berries are edible and some of them are poisonous - so be sure to know with exact certainty that the berries you are picking are edible if you go foraging.

Here are some of the wild fruits and berries you can expect to meet:

blackthorn

Blackthorn (sloe)

Blackthorn berries can be black or deep blue with a light blue bloom. They are small, round and have long thorns.

bramble

Brambles (blackberries)

Brambles are one of our most easily identified hedgerow berries and I am sure, need no description.

damson

Damson

Damsons can be purple, reddish or blueish, and egg-shaped or round. Unlike blackthorn, they do not have thorns.

elder berries

Elder

Elderberries are small, deep-purple or black berries growing in large clusters  joined by purple or red stems.

guelder rose

Guelder rose

Guelder rose berries are bright red - almost translucent, nearly perfectly round and hang in clusters.

hawthorn berries

Hawthorn

Hawthorn berries are slightly elongated with a raised bottom. They are deep red and hang in small bunches.

honeysuckle

Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle berries are smallish,  round and bright red. They grow in small clusters between the paired leaves.

rowan

Rowan (mountain ash)

Rowan berries hang in clusters and look like minature, bright orange or red apples, with inward dimpled bases.

wild rose

Wild rose

Wild rose hips are, smooth, orangey-red egg-shaped, pinched at the bottom and ending in a slightly tufted base.

What other wild berries are there?

In addition to the fruits and berries mentioned above, there are of course many others. When trying to identify them, remember, that some berries change colour as they mature,  e.g. tutsan starts off red and turns black. Here area few of them:

  • Red: Whitebeam, yew, nightshade, holly, bryony, tutsan, raspberries, strawberries, wild cherries, lingon
  • Black: Bryony, nightshade, ivy, tutsan
  • Orange: Whitebeam, sea buckthorn
  • Bright pink /orange: Spindle
  • Brown: Service tree, wild pear
  • Blue: Bullace, bilberries, blueberries
  • Bubbley berries: Wild raspberry, dewberry, stone berry
  • Ground dwelling berries: Cuckoo's pint, wild strawberries

Which wild berries are edible?

Please remember, never attempt to eat or taste any wild berry unless you are absolutely certain of its identity and know it is safe to eat. Many of our most tasty-looking berries are poisonous. With that said, here are a few of our most common edible wild fruits: bilberries, blueberries, bramble (wild blackberries), elderberries, hawthorn, raspberries, rosehips, rowan, damson, wild raspberries, wild strawberries and sloe (blackthorn).

Please note, that even though these are edible, some of them need to be cooked before they are eaten. (Much like potatoes... they are edible too, but only once cooked!)

Which berries are poisnous?

Once again, remember, never eat or taste any berry, unless you are absolutely sure of its identity and the fact that it is safe to eat. Some of our most common poisonous berries, are: bittersweet (woody nightshade), black bryony, deadly nightshade, holly, honeysuckle, ivy, lords and ladies (cuckoo pint), spindle and yew (seeds).

Where else do wild berries grow?

Anywhere shrubs and trees and plants grow, you can find wild fruits growing: Along cliffs and coast lines; high up on the slopes of moors and mountains; down amongst the bogs and swamps; beside lakes and riverbanks; in fields and meadows; scattered amongst our forests and hedgerows; and hidden in wastelands and thickets.

Summary

Well, there we go! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and have a better idea now, about some of our most common wild hedgerow berries. To be notified about new nature walk tutorials, you can join the Nook below x

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