Flädersaft

"Saft, saft, hallonsaft. Bättre saft har ingen haft!"

Juice, juice, raspberry juice. We've never had a better juice.

That's a Smurf song that Roger told me about years ago when explaining the wonderfulness that is Swedish saft. Saft is basically a cold drink consisting of a simple sugar syrup and some lovely, summery flavor. It reminds me of the agua frescas I fanatically sucked down in Honduras, but sweeter. In Sweden, berry saft seems most common - lingonberry, raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, red currant. But there is also elderflower and rhubarb saft, and probably many more that I haven't come across yet. Saft is easily purchased in a concentrate form to be diluted with water. Ikea is an easy source for some samples. 

Last month, Ruby and I invited ourselves to my sister-in-law's elderflower/fläderblommor harvesting. She makes flädersaft (here is a similar recipe) every year, and I was eager to sample her homemade brew. We set out after dinner and walked around Lund clipping the fragrant elderflower clusters from the bushy trees growing along pathways and parks. Now that I can recognize the creamy white blooms, I realize the elderberry trees are ubiquitous in Skåne (apparently throughout Europe), with the flowers and berries used in a jams, drinks, wines, even fritters. Several years ago, Fanta even came up with a elderflower drink and crazy marketing campaign for Eastern Europe & India - Fanta Shokata!

Well, Carola's saft was delicious. It reminds me a little of passionfruit. I mix up a glass of flädersaft whenever I have a hankering for a taste of spring and sunshine, especially since this summer is proving to be a rainy one. 

Enjoying the fruits ...

 and flowery saft, of our labor. :)

Raspberry and rhubarb saft at a local shop.