thought i'd give it a go and got a recipe off the internet. it said check after a couple of days to see if a white scum was forming which it was then check again after a week.
It has got mould on it surely this isnt right - am about to ditch it and try again but i am wondering if anyone has a recipe that works. I sterilised the bucket and washed all the elderflower so dont know what is wrong if it isnt the actual recipe.

We had the same thing this year with two lots so we gave up in the end. We had mould within 2 days and everything was sterilised. I think that we didnt keep it in a cool enough place to be honest. Am just planning elderberry wine in the autumn now instead lol

Where's cool enough? Our garage is warm enough to brew beer in!

are you sure it's mould? I thought ours looked decidedly dodgy but the growth on the top, in the end, I decided was yeast growing and stirred it in. I was still a little iffy but bottled it anyway. 4 weeks later we're drinking it and it's lovely! I did strain it before bottling through muslin to get it as clear as possible, but there's still some scum in the bottom. But it definitely fizzed and it was lovely and refreshing

We usually get scum in the bottom of ours but you just pour gently or filter again and it doesn't affect the taste. You don't say what recipe you used but you hopefully didn't add yeast? The yeast is in the pollen which is what makes it so simple to make.

i think it was mould - well it was green anyway -gave up and tipped it in the compost - I was going to have another go but the rain put paid to the flowers -oh well next year - meanwhile can you use the berrys for jam or something i dont have equipment for wine making.

You can indeed, but on their own it's a bit of a nothing flavour. They're good for bulking other berries out though, especially blackcurrents which are strong enough to take over.
Soph

my blackcurrents have vanished -i netted them and they still vanished -will have some blackberrys though and i know where i can "borrow" some plums.Also fallen unripe apples (just read that with interest)