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.
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.
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.
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
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
Nutrition
Milkweed Flower Shrub
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.
Cassandra Corcoran
covered as in closed jar or cheesecloth?
Alan Bergo
Closed jar, lid, etc.
Trix Render
It sounds delicious..wondering if it can be adapted with some champagne yeast and turned into milkweed sparkling wine?
Alan Bergo
Absolutely. I have a friend who takes it to wine and then distills to brandy.
Trix Render
Thank you..I might give it a go.
Peppany
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?
Alan Bergo
Yes they can, and that should work, although I'm not a perfumist.
Jessica
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.
Alan Bergo
I haven't but that sounds great, and a new one for me.
Peppany
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?
Wendy Williams
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).
Alan Bergo
I forage for every ingredient mentioned on this site, with very few exceptions. Where are you located?
Alexandra
Could i use just plain white vinigar instead? Thanks!
Mary
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
Alan Bergo
Mary, it’s fine to consume.
Cheri Domina
Hi there, does this not ferment and need to be burped?
Alan Bergo
This is not fermented, but it could be.
Sheila
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.
Alan Bergo
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.