I’ve not had a chance to hunt around in the countryside for elderflowers yet this year, but for me, foraging for elderflowers is fun and absolutely worth it. Once you’ve made cordial from the flowers, you can drink it diluted with water, mix it with apple juice or lemonade for a non-alcoholic punch, or for an adult version, add it to champagne, or drink it with gin or vodka, with lemon juice and soda for a delicious cocktail. You can also spoon it over lemon sorbet, drizzle it in fruit salads, use it in fruit fools and crumbles, set it into jellies, stir it into yogurt, or even use it in savoury dishes. Click here for a few more ideas.

 

If you’re interested in making your own elderflower cordial, make sure you know exactly what elderflowers look like by doing your research first, and try to pick elderflowers on a sunny day when their flavour is at its best. Choose the freshest looking, white flowers, take them home with you in a plastic bag and make the cordial as soon as you can. To make about 4 litres you will need:

 

2.5kg sugar, either granulated or caster

2 unwaxed lemons

2 medium oranges

20 fresh elderflower heads, stalks trimmed

85g citric acid (you can get this from chemists)

 

1. Put the sugar and 1.5 litres water into the largest saucepan you have. Gently heat, without boiling, until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Once the sugar has dissolved, bring the syrup to the boil and turn off the heat.

 

2. Peel the zest off the lemons using a normal peeler, and cut the lemons into slices. Do the same with the oranges.

 

3. Rinse the elderflowers gently in a bowl of cold water to get rid of bugs and dirt, and pick off the flowers, removing the majority of the stalk. Then put the flowers in the pan of syrup, also adding the lemon and orange slices, zest and citric acid. Stir well, put a lid or clingfilm over the pot and leave to infuse for 24 hours, stirring occasionally.

 

4. Line a colander with a clean tea towel and sit it over a large bowl or pan. Ladle in the liquid and let it drain through. Throw away the fruit and flowers, and pour the strained liquid through a funnel into sterilised bottles (for how to sterilise bottles, see lemon curd – March)

 

5. Drink the cordial straight away if you like! It will keep in the fridge for up to 6 weeks, or freeze it for all year round yumminess!

 

Salad: 

 

Now that summer’s getting close, I’ve been experimenting with different salads, and a real favourite, as a healthy light meal or a delicious side, is a seasonal courgette salad. To make enough for 2 people, slice 2 courgettes into ribbons with a potato peeler. Put them in a bowl with 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 finely chopped red chilli with the seeds removed. Toss it all together and leave for at least 10 minutes for the flavours to infuse. While you’re waiting, toast 2 tbsp pine nuts in a dry pan. Then add them to the courgette, along with some shredded basil leaves and a handful of parmesan shavings.

 

Enjoy!

Agriculture contributes about 7% of total UK greenhouse gas emissions and if you include additional emissions such as distribution, manufacturing and consumption this accounts for approximately 20% of the UK emissions. 

 

Food miles are the distance that food travels from where it is grown to the plate we eat it off. Half the vegetables and 95% of the food we consume in the UK does not come from our shores. The food we eat makes a huge contribution towards climate change and unnecessary waste. Making small changes today can lead to a healthier and tastier life!

 

For glossary of terms click here.

 

In this section:

Easting seasonally, locally and unprocessed food can be much better for the environment. Local out of season produce usually requires energy-intensive techniques such as heated greenhouses, or refrigerated storage. For information about what’s in season click here. 

 

There are also farmers markets where you can buy fresh produce grown locally. To find a farmers market near you click here. 

Make sure you try buy fruit and vegetables that are not in packaging. Organic foods and fresh vegetable boxes can be ordered from a supplier such as Able and Cole or Riverford. It is also important to support your local Green Grocers:

 

Grow your own

A 2006 United Nations report summarized the devastation caused by the meat industry by calling it "one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." 

 

Producing meat uses up a lot of energy and water. Limiting your meat intake will help to reduce usage of energy, water and CO2. 

 

For more information about Judaism and Vegetarianism see this article. For more information on Judaism and Vegetarianism click here.

Eating meat in moderation is healthy. Industrialised farming has made it possible to produce vast amounts of the stuff and all that cheap meat is having a negative effect on our health. 

 

For more information and to join in the Part Time Carnivore Campaign click here.

Organic farming offers the best, currently available, practical model for addressing climate-friendly food production. This is because it sequesters higher levels of carbon in the soil, is less dependent on oil-based fertilisers and pesticides and confers resilience in the face of climatic extremes. 

 

New research from the Soil Association reveals that if all UK farmland was converted to organic farming, at least 3.2 million tonnes of carbon would be taken up by the soil each year - the equivalent of taking nearly 1 million cars off the road. The research reveals that widespread adoption of organic farming practices in the UK would offset 23% of UK agricultural emissions through soil carbon sequestration alone. (Information from the Soil Association) 

Overfishing is the greatest single threat to marine wildlife and habitats, with many fish critically endangered. When an entire fish population is destroyed it can have huge knock-on effects on the local ecosystem. Help to play your part by making informed choices about the fish you eat, starting with what to avoid and what you can eat instead. 

 

You can help by ensuring that you only buy sustainable fish. For frequently asked questions about sustainable fish click here. 

 

Some species have already been fished to commercial extinction, and many more are on the verge of extinction. To find a list of fish to eat and fish to avoid click here.

 

Join in The End of the Line campaign - The End of the Line is not against fishing. It is not against eating fish. But it is for a responsible attitude towards the oceans.