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    Home » Sweets

    Milkweed Flower Cordial and Shrub

    Published: Jul 9, 2018 Modified: Feb 2, 2023 by Alan Bergo This post may contain affiliate links 19 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    A simple cordial or shrub infused with the incredible aroma of fresh milkweed flowers is an irresistible way to introduce people to the sweet possibilities of cooking with common milkweed flowers.

    Milkweed Flowers and cordial (1 of 5)

    Nothing says summer to me grabbing a big handful of milkweed flowers and taking a whiff. The smell is so sweet, so floral, but at the same time, it's not cloying at all. It's just deep, dark and so sweet.

    If I close my eyes while I smell my mind drifts to the things that will pair well with them, little lines of dancing cherries, strawberries, red currants, watermelon, and peaches: to me milkweed flowers want fruit, they crave fruit.

    a two tone red and white cordial being fermented
    After a few days the milkweed flowers bleed a beautiful red.

    They're one of the most versatile wildflowers I know of: strong, sturdy, yet tender enough to pop in your mouth and sprinkle into salads or on top of a dish. Kept in the fridge in a plastic bag or contiainer, they'll last for weeks. Read that again: a beautiful flower that lasts for weeks, that you can eat?! YES.

    One of my favorite things to make with them is milkweed cordial, a fruity, floral syrup you can do all kinds of stuff with. When people hear the word cordial, a lot of times they get a vision of something you'd make drinks with, but it's more than just for drinks.

    After 1 week.

    How to use it

    Drizzle some over vanilla, or even better yet a tart ice cream made with buttermilk, and top with a few strawberries. The high amount of sugar in the syrup also means that it's a preserative in itself, so could even preserve berries in the syrup, then spoon them onto things after they've had a little marriage in the fridge for a while.

    But wait, there's more. You can substitute vinegar for all or parts of the water in the syrup, and it makes for even better savory uses, since I don't like things too sweet. To boot, a lot of floral and fruity aromas and very soluble in solutions that have vinegar in them, or in just pure vinegar itself. For non-drink uses, I always add 50%

    Milkweed Flower Cordial
    Print Recipe
    5 from 9 votes

    Milkweed Flower Cordial

    Sweet drink syrup flavored with the fruity aroma of milkweed flowers
    Prep Time5 mins
    Infusing time7 d
    Total Time7 d 5 mins
    Course: Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Cordial, Flower Cordial, Milkweed
    Servings: 10 Servings
    Calories: 389kcal
    Author: Alan Bergo

    Equipment

    • 1 small sauce pot
    • 1 Quart mason jar or another non-reactive container

    Ingredients

    • 7 ounces fresh milkweed flowers as deep colored as possible, remove from the stem
    • 1 teaspoon citric acid
    • 5 cups white sugar
    • 4 cups water

    Instructions

    • Heat the water until warm, but not boiling. Add the sugar and citric acid then whisk until the syrup is clear.
    • Cool the syrup.
    • Look the milkweed flowers over for walking creatures and creepy crawlies, then put into a container and pour over the cooled syrup.
    • Put a lid, label and date on the container and let it sit in the sunshine on a windowsill for 4 days.
    • After 3 days, strain the syrup, using gloves to squeeze as much liquid from the flowers as possible. Discard the flowers. Refrierate the syrup in a labeled, dated container, or bottles until needed.

    Notes

    If you add 50% apple cider vinegar instead of water this makes a great syrup to drizzle over strawberries and goat cheese. The end product tastes a bit like strawberries. Make sure to put it in a sunny place: the gentle warmth from the sunlight seems to help leech out the flavor like sun-tea

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2oz | Calories: 389kcal | Carbohydrates: 100g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.001g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.002g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 36mg | Sugar: 100g | Vitamin A: 386IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 0.2mg
    Milkweed Flower Cordial
    Print Recipe
    4.88 from 8 votes

    Milkweed Flower Shrub 

    A basic recipe, you can see that all the parts are at a 2:1:1 ratio by volume, so multiply and scale as needed. The syrup is excellent with drinks, as you would traditionally use a shrub. Yield: a little over 1 cup 
    Prep Time5 mins
    Resting Time7 d
    Total Time7 d 5 mins
    Course: Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Milkweed, Milkweed Flowers, Shrub
    Servings: 10 Servings
    Calories: 82kcal
    Author: Alan Bergo

    Equipment

    • 1 2 quart sauce pot
    • 1 Fine Strainer or cheesecloth

    Ingredients

    • 2 ounces milkweed flowers or 1.5 cups flowers
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 1 cup champagne or white wine vinegar

    Instructions

    • Stir the vinegar and sugar until melted, then add the milkweed flowers and allow to sit in a container like a mason jar, with lid, at room temperature. Strain after a week and store in the fridge for the best flavor.

    Notes

    Shrubs are wonderful for making drinks. I love adding this to Non-alcoholic cocktails. To make one, mix the shrub with half soda water, mix, and pour over ice. Feel free to adjust the ratios to your taste. Muddling in some fresh herbs like mint or basil is good too. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 82kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.002g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.001g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 20mg | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 110IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.2mg

    More 

    Forager’s Guide to Milkweed

    Fried Milkweed Pods

    Steamed Milkweed Buds

    « Milkweed Flowers
    Spaghetti with Milkweed Pods, Heirloom Tomatoes, Garlic Oil and Basil »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cassandra Corcoran

      June 24, 2020 at 9:38 am

      covered as in closed jar or cheesecloth?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        June 24, 2020 at 9:45 am

        Closed jar, lid, etc.

        Reply
    2. Trix Render

      July 18, 2020 at 5:56 am

      5 stars
      It sounds delicious..wondering if it can be adapted with some champagne yeast and turned into milkweed sparkling wine?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        July 18, 2020 at 11:23 am

        Absolutely. I have a friend who takes it to wine and then distills to brandy.

        Reply
        • Trix Render

          July 19, 2020 at 3:53 am

          Thank you..I might give it a go.

          Reply
    3. Peppany

      October 10, 2020 at 3:19 pm

      Milkweed flowers smell amazinggggg, and I want to make perfume put of them. Do you know if when they're soaked in alcohol the smell is preserved?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        October 10, 2020 at 3:34 pm

        Yes they can, and that should work, although I'm not a perfumist.

        Reply
      • Jessica

        June 14, 2022 at 10:25 pm

        Have you thought of trying enflorage? I’m not sure if that’s the correct spelling, but it’s where you preserve flower smells in a solid fat like coconut oil or tallow by layering flowers on a tin layer of the fat and letting them sit.

        Reply
        • Alan Bergo

          June 15, 2022 at 11:00 am

          I haven't but that sounds great, and a new one for me.

          Reply
    4. Peppany

      October 10, 2020 at 3:20 pm

      5 stars
      Like this recipe sounds, Milkweed flowers smell amazinggggg, and I want to make perfume out of them. Do you know if when they're soaked in alcohol the smell is preserved?

      Reply
    5. Wendy Williams

      April 10, 2021 at 7:26 pm

      5 stars
      Do you forage for milkweed or do you purchase it from someone? I'm interested in trying out some of the recipes but don't know how to get milkweed blossoms (have not seen them in my area).

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        April 11, 2021 at 7:14 am

        I forage for every ingredient mentioned on this site, with very few exceptions. Where are you located?

        Reply
    6. Alexandra

      June 30, 2021 at 7:57 pm

      5 stars
      Could i use just plain white vinigar instead? Thanks!

      Reply
    7. Mary

      January 28, 2022 at 4:34 pm

      Hi Alan,
      I am looking for your thoughts and opinions or others who may read this about the safety of simply dissolving the fresh milkweed (purchased at a local farmers market last summer in region 6 growing area..NJ.) in 80 proof vodka. If was not cooked, just rinsed and placed in the vodka and infused, then strained off after infusing in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. So my infusion is simply Milkweed vodka (a clear amber color ), no sugar or vinegar was involved. Do you believe it would be safe to imbibe?? I was so impressed with the pretty-ness of the flower so I asked the seller how it's consumed and he told me you can tempura it or infuse in alcohol and I never gave it a 2nd thought. I immediately went home and infused it. But then doing some research about how to use the milkweed vodka in a recipe, so much of the literature talks about the potential harmful effects and toxicity of some forms of milkweed to humans. All my internet searching does not give me the answer to my question(seems I should have done my research before infusing)...that being said... It would be awesome if your experience with milkweed would provide a definitive answer if what I've infused is safe for consumption. Thanks so much.
      Mary

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        January 28, 2022 at 6:52 pm

        Mary, it’s fine to consume.

        Reply
    8. Cheri Domina

      June 19, 2022 at 10:51 am

      Hi there, does this not ferment and need to be burped?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        June 20, 2022 at 7:20 am

        This is not fermented, but it could be.

        Reply
    9. Sheila

      June 30, 2022 at 11:14 pm

      I made this on Sunday night . Tonight (Thursday) after 4 full days in a sunny windowsill in a hand tightened ball jar, my cordial popped and spit/fizzed when I opened it to strain the flowers, I wanted to see if this was a botulism risk since a sugar syrup isn’t acidic enough or if that may indicate fermentation.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        July 02, 2022 at 7:54 am

        This is fine. Some fermentation can be good, it also wards off bacteria by lowering the pH. This shouldn't ferment unless you use living vinegar though, which is not part of my typical recipe. The pH of the liquid with the vinegar added alone means botulism is not an issue here.

        Reply

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    Chef Alan Bergo

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