DIY Floral Waters

& the Romance of Late Spring Blossoms

Photo by Lissa Gotwals

Add a Little Magic to Your Life

At our old homestead in Orange County, North Carolina, we had a small strawberry patch that had a fence around it to keep out the deer and the chickens. The fence was covered in honeysuckle vines that happened to bloom exactly as the berries ripened. As I went out one evening at dusk to check on the garden, the sweet aroma of the honeysuckle mingled with the delicate floral of strawberries, and I knew I had to figure out how to combine those flavors in a jam.

Baby Mo & I receiving our first ever Good Food Award from judge and jam goddess June Taylor.

The result was my two- time Good Food Award-winning, best-selling Strawberry-Honeysuckle Preserves. No matter how many jars we made, it was never enough - even without wholesaling them. For more than a decade the month of May was just one long stretch of intoxicating aromas and really accentuated the luxuries of this time of year.

Spring is the most romantic season, and May and June the absolute height of that allure. Flowers upon flowers. Blooms upon blooms. The first warm, heavy night air of the season wrapping you in it’s nectarous embrace. There is no better time to dive straight in to the sensuousness of it all and collect all the blossoms you can for your own floral waters. Use it in jam, cocktails, or lemonade. Put it in a spray bottle and store it in your refrigerator to spritz your face with in the heat of the summer. Your goddess potential just skyrocketed!

May & June are for roses, too! Another incredible flower for DIY Floral Waters.

Simple Infusions

You can make a very simple infusion in water or spirits by simply pouring cold water or room temperature spirits (I like vodka because it doesn’t mask the delicate floral aroma), and letting it steep overnight (or up to a week) before straining and using in simple syrup or lemonade or other drinks. Don’t heat your honeysuckle infused liquid because the aroma molecules are volatile and will float away. Instead pour half cup of boiling water over 1 cup of sugar and stir to dissolve. Let cool then stir in a half cup of honeysuckle infusion (water). Cover tightly and keep refrigerated.

Honeysuckle  Tincture