A springtime flower honey
I don’t know what’s happening with me this year, but it feels like I’ve never loved Spring as much as this time around.
Maybe it’s because every year we are closer to finishing the house, and the outside spaces are becoming greener and more composed, with climbers taking up space and perennials showing that they’ve established by now. Maybe it’s because this past year has felt so heavy in many ways, and springtime feels like a reminder that warmth and light come even after the coldest of winters.
Maybe both, maybe more reasons.
I’ve noticed, on my walks, that the beautiful white lilac bush growing from inside an old stone well in an abandoned piece of land nearby is again in full bloom.
Two years ago, we took three cuttings from this large bush (almost like a small tree, with a few strong trunks) and they all took root. This spring we’ve spread them around the land in moist spots - since it seems to enjoy living inside a well! One now lives by the door, where there is a faucet. The other lives where our grey water goes to (we’ve dug a swale and covered it with mulch, and there is a super simple filtering system with sand and gravel). The last one, to be honest, is still in a vase, but not for long.
This morning, our daughter woke up pretty early. She and Sam went for a walk with the dogs while I was still asleep, and on the way back brought me some lilac flowers. The kitchen smells so good - light, sweet, inebriating. I knew I wanted to encapsulate a memory of these warm Spring days, when the sunshine is still pleasant and everywhere we look there is something blooming.
So after lunch I grabbed my basket and a pair of scissors and, on the way to the lilac bush passed by a friend’s house and grabbed her too and we went on a small impromptu foraging adventure together. Always leaving behind more than what we take, of course.
This year I’m making a simple floral-infused honey. I’ve done flower syrups before, but the reason I’m opting for honey is because well, I never did it before, and also because we don’t have a fridge. My springtime flower syrups usually end up going bad shortly after, before we can use the whole bottle, because the weather warms up so quickly.
The food we eat and the way we prepare it are reflections of the regions we live in, and this is yet another example of adapting to our bioregions. Doing what works - and this is usually supported by local folk traditions around food.
I love how simple this is. You can use a variety of flowers you have available (I personally like to work with one plant at a time, but you can be as creative as you like!), and turn the scents and feelings of Spring into physical memory for the months to come. Obviously, only use flowers you know to be edible and that haven’t been sprayed with any chemicals.
What you need:
A small glass jar
One cup of edible flowers of choice, without greens stems
One cup of local honey
Directions:
Fill your jar with the flowers
Pour in the honey to completely cover the flowers
Let is sit for some hours, eventually topping it again if needed
Let sit for some weeks, stirring (or turning the jar upside down) every now and then.
I’ve only done infused honeys with aromatic herbs before, so I’m very much looking forward to trying this in a few weeks. And I guess I’ll see, then, if I want to strain the honey or leave the flowers in.
A little bit of spring in a jar of gold! 🌞 🌸