I have a nostalgic love for honeysuckles.
For me the smell is directly tied to playing on Papa’s farm as a child. They
will forever be one of my favorite springtime smells.
When Liz and I began
discussing what to plant around our new home, honeysuckle was near the top of
my list. To my surprise it has recently began to bloom in several places in our
yard. The sweet smell that now hovers in the air makes being in the yard that
much more enjoyable.
There is a certain timeless joy in pulling the pistil through the base of the flower before placing the
smallest drop of nectar on the tip of your tongue. I revisited that joy today, and thought that someone should
somehow capture it. After some quick research I found that
honeysuckle simple syrup is a thing. Excited, I spent the next hour outside –
large mixing bowl in hand – picking four cups of the delicate, white flowers.
To my pleasant surprise, the
end product captured the floral sweetness perfectly. I have successfully
captured a childhood memory in liquid form. Now to mix it in cocktails, sweet
tea, and flavored butter to top buttermilk biscuits.
