Elderflowers Good - Giant Hogweed Bad

[24HourPARDyPerson]

What's the difference?

I want to make some elderflower cordial with the children, maybe some wine.
The hedgerows around here are alive with big white fluffy flowers, but they might be giant hogweed, which has corrosive sap.

has anyone made elderflower cordial, and have you any tips?

Elderflower is a large bush with see pic here. It usually flowers in June and the ones round our way (south coast) are all finished. The one in my garden has got berries on it. Every year I always promise myself to make some and never get round to it.

Hogweed is dangerous and as you know has a corrosive sap that can cause sever burns. pic here

Maybe make some raspberry cordial instead.

Elderflower grows on a small bushy tree - but it is mainly over by now
around here (south midlands)...there will be elderberries later in the year where the elderflower have been left which could be used for wine, jelly etc.
Most of the white flowers you see in the hedgerows are unlikely all to be Giant Hogweed which is an invasive intoduced species and is huge, but a mixture of native umbillifers, like ordinary Hogweed , Cow Parsley etc., sweet ciceley, hemlock etc.

By the way, we make elderflower cordial every year - but collect the elderflower
in early to mid June. I would never collect more than a few flowers from each tree - I hate to see trees stripped of flowers - there are plenty of trees - we usually only take 4 flowers per tree. You do need to give them a good shake because they will be full of insects. The elderflower smells wonderful, but remove any green parts because all green parts of the elder tree are poisonous. There are lots of good recipies on line, but basically you just soak it with some lemon and/or orange in a sugar solution made with an unbelievable amount of sugar.

Thanks for the advice (sorry was away at PILs in the countryside so no internet access but plenty of access to hedge rows) but you are right acorntree the season is over.
Oh well there is always next year