"Andy Spragg" wrote in message

Harrumph. I am vexed. Went out on Saturday evening to collect a couple
of bags of elderflowers, and then spent a couple of hours /trying/ to
"separate flowers from stalks". And it seems to me to be virtually
impossible. Particularly with the freshly-opened flowers, which a
colleague advised me to concentrate on because they are heavier on the
aromatics. What I ended up with is about half a gallon of flowers,
most of which are attached to bits of thin green stalk.

Elderberries are a doddle by comparison, given patience. Does anyone
have any helpful advice on how to achieve a cleaner separation? Or is
my experience normal, and it doesn't actually matter too much?

It is a long time since I made anything with elderflowers but as I recall I
used to hang the flowers over the bowl and cut them off with scissors.

O