STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The sugary taste of a single dew drop from a honeysuckle blossom is a delicious childhood memory. Little hands could easily pinch the base of the flower’s trumpet and squeeze out the small, tasty tidbit onto the tongue. As adults, we can enjoy honeysuckle in more than one way.
Honeysuckle’s edible white and yellow blooms can be found growing robustly in the Northeast from now through August. Seeing them in profusion has prompted some to ask, “Can these beautifully scented flowers be eaten?”
The short answer, according to professional forager and local flora educator Aly Stoffo, is “yes.” Aly also is known as the “Glam Gardener NYC.” She also notes that if you’re new to foraging you should be on your guard against other plants that are not so nice. Chief among them is poison ivy.
Stoffo’s mantra on the topic of this toxic vine is, “Shiny leaves of three, let it be. And don’t be a dope, and don’t touch the hairy rope!” The “hairy rope” is the poison ivy vine stem, which can be quite thick.
According to Cornell University, poison ivy further can be identified as a three-leaved, hairless specimen. A blog exploring weed identification from the university explains, “The shiny leaves have a red tinge in the spring and then become more dull and green as they age throughout the summer before returning to a more red and/or brown color in the fall.”
FINDING THE RIGHT BLOOM
That said, once a forager susses through the intimidating interlopers, there’s a gem to be found — the honeysuckle aka Lonicera japonica.. Now considered by some to be an invasive species, it came to North American in 1806, taking root first in Long Island, as per sources such as Bugwood.org.
Cosmetic company Tom’s of Maine touts its history in promoting its products. It notes, “The first ever recorded use of honeysuckle’s cooling properties was in Chinese medicine in 659 AD, according to the Tang Bencao. At the time it was used to treat snake bites, drawing out the ‘hot’ toxin and essentially cooling down the patient.”
And with a disclaimer to consult a physician before use, it notes with a further warning, “Later, Europeans adapted this calming characteristic to relax women during childbirth. Though some still credit honeysuckle with the ability to reduce inflammation, more research would be needed to verify these claims.”
Advance nature-writer Clay Wollney has educated on the subject in the past. He wrote, “Newly opened flowers are white but turn yellow as they age. The fruit that develop are black with a few seeds in each berry.” In early spring, these seeds are toxic, Stoffo pointed out.
Wollney notes how invasive is the species in general and that “harvesting its flowers for the nectar is doing the environment a favor, hence there’s no need to feel guilty about destroying nature.”
Stoffo, The Glam Gardener, thinks of the flowers as a natural way to combat pollen allergies. By drinking the dabs of nectar from the petals one gets a full dose of pollen — pinch the base of the trumpet and pull the stamen out for its precious drop of liquid.
She said, “I use the flowers and I cook them into a tea. I also just like to use them as a demonstration for teaching because it’s really easy to see the different parts of the flower and use that as a teaching exercise. We talk about the nectar and the purpose of the nectar and the flower — that’s really what’s giving the flower add sweetness. The pollinators are attracted to it and eat that sweet juice. They’re getting pollen on their bodies and pollinating a flower.”
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For hot or iced tea with a bittersweet edge and mild flavor, snip and cook blooms and some leaves in simmering water for about 15 to 20 minutes or until reduced by half. The liquid can be sweetened with sugar or honey, as suggested by Tama Matsuoka Wong, who co-authored with Eddy Leroux “Foraged Flavor: Finding Fabulous Ingredients in Your Backyard or Farmer’s Market” (Clarkson Potter, 2012).
Matsuoka turns the liquid into a simple granita, a dessert that can be made from shaved or fork-flaked ice. Wong wrote in the book, “The flowers and buds of this Asian vine are a delicacy and considered an immune system boost in China, where they have been dried into tea since the ancient days of the Dowager Empress herself.”
Stoffo uses a similar process but with the blooms only. She boils the water first, then shuts the heat. She puts a lid on the pot to retain the the fragrance and salubrious properties of the plant.
“Don’t boil away the petals in steam. The flowers are delicate,” said Stoffo, who advises steeping them in the water for about 15 minutes.
A bit of knowledgable foraging and a trip to the kitchen can provide an extra, and unusual, taste of summer.
Pamela Silvestri is Advance Food Editor. She can be reached at silvestri@siadvance.com.
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