Strawberry Elderflower Chia Compote is delicious on ice-cream, Elderflower Lemon Cake, toast, spooned into plain or vanilla yogurt, and as a fruity accompaniment to grilled meat. The possibilities are endless and the flavor so unique it is worth the little bit of time to make. You can make this recipe with either dried elderflowers or fresh ones. Elderberry bushes flower in late May, June and into July in North Carolina, and if you are interested in harvesting fresh elderflowers to use in this or other recipes, you will find this post about harvesting elderflowers very handy!
Ingredients
- 4 pounds fresh, capped and cleaned or frozen strawberries, whole
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon dried elderflowers, or 3 Tablespoons fresh elderflowers, cleaned and destemmed.
- 1 Tablespoon chia seeds.
Directions
- Mix fresh or frozen strawberries and sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring gently, until the sugar dissolves and the strawberries give up their juice. Turn the heat to medium and, stirring occasionally, cook until the mixture starts to boil. Use a potato masher to crush some of the fruit, being careful to leave chunks of strawberry intact.
- Add the elderflowers and chia seeds and cook for one more minute. Turn off the heat, and spoon into sterilized canning jars with tight fitting lids. Turn the jars upside down for one minute, then set up right and allow to cool on counter.
- Tighten lids again, and store in fridge for up to one month. Makes 2 1/4 quarts.