Wild Honeysuckle Simple Syrup

honeysuckle flower
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If you're outside — or even driving with the windows down — in Northern Virginia, you can probably smell the honeysuckle. Despite its status as an invasive species (which is obvious, since you see it everywhere … but at least it smells better than a kudzu vine), I have such good memories of this delicate plant.

As those of us raised below the Mason-Dixon Line can attest, many varieties of honeysuckle flowers are actually edible Tweet this, containing a tiny taste of nectar at the base of the flower. I wanted a way to concentrate that flavor from my youth and use this crazy plant that was sprawling all over my family's forest — so I came up with the idea of making a simple syrup using honeysuckle nectar. 

Honeysuckle Foraging Safety Notes

If you go off foraging for honeysuckle, there are some very important things to note.​

  1. Honeysuckle berries are poisonous.
  2. Not all varieties of honeysuckle are edible. Be sure to check with a local botanist or foraging expert before proceeding.

Add honeysuckle syrup to coffee, tea or a cocktail of vodka and seltzer! Or, add a teaspoon into a homemade dressing as a thickener and sweetener.


Honeysuckle Simple Syrup Tweet this

Recipe by Carlene Thomas, RDN, LD

Ingredients

  • 1 cup honeysuckle flowers
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ¾ cup water

Directions

  1. Strip the vines off the honeysuckle flowers and rinse the flowers.
  2. Add sugar and water to a small pot on the stove. Bring to a simmer until sugar dissolves. Add honeysuckle flowers and remove from heat. Steep for 30 minutes. Strain and bottle. Store in the refrigerator.
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Carlene Thomas
Carlene Thomas, RDN, LD, is a food photographer and recipe developer in Northern Virginia. She and her husband work full time on their business and social media platforms, Healthfully Ever After, where they work with companies to tell their story through food visuals including stop motion, photography and video. Read her blog, HealthfullyEverAfter.co, and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.