Although believed to be extinct in the wild, occasionally honey bees can escape captivity and form wild swarms in the UK. A rare sight, indeed!

June signals the traditional start of Elderflower season. The above recipe is well worth the little effort and is far superior to shop bought Elderflower cordial. It's, in my opinion, the perfect Summers drink. Give it a go!

(Don't be put off by the sugar content, this cordial can be diluted to taste and makes plenty!)

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The Wild Folk

Homemade Elderflower cordial. Ingredients: - 2.5kg Sugar. - 50g citric acid. - 40 elderflower heads, stalks trimmed. - 2 Lemons, unwaxed. - 1.5 litres water. You will also need two large pans, funnel, ladle, colender, bottles (swingtop, corked, etc) and…

Homemade Elderflower cordial.

Ingredients:
- 2.5kg Sugar.
- 50g citric acid.
- 40 elderflower heads, stalks trimmed.
- 2 Lemons, unwaxed.
- 1.5 litres water.

You will also need two large pans, funnel, ladle, colender, bottles (swingtop, corked, etc) and a tea towel.

- Sterilise all equipment.
- Heat the water and sugar in a pan, taking care to not boil and stir occasionally.
- Meanwhile, shake off the flower heads to remove any insects, debris. You can dip them in water to help dislodge any hangers on but preferable not to, if possible.
- zest the Lemons and then slice, leave to the side.
- Once the sugar has dissolved, bring to the boil and turn off the heat.
- Add the other ingredients and gently stir.
- Cover the pan and leave for 24 hours.
- After 24 hours, line a colender with the tea towel and place over a clean pan. Pour in the liquid.
- Transfer this filtered liquid to bottles. Should keep for 6 weeks or can be frozen in plastic.

Mix with Soda water for a sparkling summers drink. Enjoy.

Aberdeenshire, Scotland

A garden song.

By Thomas Moore.

*I have a garden of my own,
Shining with flowers of every hue;
I love it dearly while alone,
But I shall love it more with you:
And there the golden bees shall crone,
In summertime at break of morn,
And wake us with their busy hum
Around the Siha's fragrant thorn.

I have a fawn from Aden's land,
On leafy buds and berries nurst;
And you shall feed him from your hand,
Though he may start with fear at first.
And I will lead you where he lies
For shelter in the noon-tide heat;
And you may touch his sleepy eyes,
And feel his little silvery feet.*

Last year I left some sweet-corn cobs too long and they over-ripened. They were hard so what I did was to take the seeds off, and these are growing this year in seed-trays. These give hundreds of seeds, and we shall see if they produce this year.

A nation without forests and open country would be one big prison. Urbanisation always leads to enslavement, first the mind and then the body.

A medley of red dead-nettle and lesser celandine, both of which are edible.
Lesser Celandine leaves are a great source of vitamin C. The closing of the flowers can be used to warn of coming rain.