Honeysuckle Jelly & Soothing Throat Syrup

-
Fireflies.

Rainstorms.

Crickets.

Katydids.

Honeysuckle.

It's summer y'all...
Time for another batch of Honeysuckle Jelly!


You know the tiny drop of liquid goodness (ok, nectar…but it's delicious) that you get from one honeysuckle blossom?  Multiply that by a spoonful, and that's what it's like to have honeysuckle jelly on toast. mmmmm….. :)

I first made this Honeysuckle Jelly a few years ago when the house we moved into had honeysuckle all along the wood line in the back yard.  It started because we were looking for a Honeysuckle Ice Cream recipe (still haven't made that).…it's become a family favorite.

When we moved into the house we're in now, I was incredibly excited because there were two bushes in the back yard with honeysuckle vines in addition to two more sections in the back of the yard with honeysuckle.  I made a batch and gave jars to family members, then waited for the next year to come around to make more.  Big mistake….apparently, honeysuckle (and pecans?) show up every other year….and all of our honeysuckle are on the same rotation it seems.  This year I've learned from my mistake and am not letting this year's "harvest" go to waste! :)

I'm about to make another batch in the next day or so...so I thought I'd post the recipe I found and am using for future reference.

I use this recipe at New Life On A Homestead, but I double everything so that I can use a full pack of liquid pectin in each batch.  I get 7 half pints of jelly each time (not filled completely to the rim)…and they go fast! :D


I also like to make cute labels for my jars. :)  I just cut a circle of scrapbook paper,
wrote the name and date on there, and put the lid back on the jar.


Oh yes, and I reuse clean jars….like those miniature baby food jars. :D

I always have extra honeysuckle water/infusion/tea/wonderful-smelling-liquid-from-steeping.  I keep this in my fridge in a jar and add it to hot tea as a sweetener (mmmmmm…..) and I make a batch of honeysuckle syrup for my sister.  At the beginning of every summer, she gets a scratchy throat from the excessive amount of pollen we have around our houses.  She swears by this syrup to help soothe her throat.  The first time I made her a batch, she drank it like water haha! (Not recommended because then it will be all gone too fast!)

Honeysuckle Soothing Throat Syrup

1 cup Honeysuckle infusion
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon honey (preferably local honey, if available)
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Heat the honeysuckle infusion and water on medium heat, so that it's somewhere between simmering and boiling.  Add the honey and lemon juice and stir until the honey is well combined with the infusion.  Let cool and pour into a bottle to keep in the refrigerator.  Drink about 2 tablespoons (warm or cold, but warm is more soothing) or add to hot tea and enjoy!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Cleaning Schedule

-
Image
1/8/2024 Update! I wrote this post 12 years ago!! Every spring and every January, my blog (that I don't update nearly often enough!) gets a lot of attention on this post about a simple cleaning plan! That makes a lot of sense though, right? That said, I noticed while doing laundry this week that it's time to buy some fresh microfiber towels for us to use for wiping down surfaces. While I'm shopping, I'm going to make a list here of some of our go-to cleaning supplies that you can find online. Microfiber Cleaning Cloths  - I use these for just about everything. I've had more and less expensive ones over the years, but I find as long as I wash them separate from any lint towels, they hold up well for a few years. Glass Spray Bottles  - I have one (and need more!). I like to dilute a little castile soap or dish soap in one for the boys to help clean surfaces. Currently, I have homemade pine cleaner in mine. I put a bunch of fresh pine straw in a jar, filled it with vin
Read more

What's going on in Summer 2024?

-
Image
When school is out for all our friends, we're always looking for something fun to do together at one of our houses or around town. I've been putting together a list of fun events in our area (Jefferson/Blount/Walker/Cullman counties) so we will never be bored! There's no way we can be at all of these, but I'm keeping them on my radar. If you know of something else that I've missed, leave it in the comments. I'll be updating this post as I find out more information on events and adding registration links as they are available, so make sure to check back often! At the bottom of this post, you'll find a calendar you can download and print for the months of June and July! :)
Read more

Meal Plan for this Week

-
Image
 I'm going to try to start posting my meal plans each week....mostly so I can refer back to them later! If you want to see all my previous meal plans (some are monthly, some are weekly), you can see them here . Future ones will be tagged too if you want to bookmark that link. I always make sure to include some meals designated for leftovers to hopefully reduce the chance of forgetting about food in the back of the fridge. Breakfasts tend to switch between cereal & oatmeal or granola, with the occasional muffins or cinnamon rolls thrown in. As everyone is waking up, they can fix their breakfast with some coffee or hot cocoa, and pick out a book or quiet activity like coloring to do while eating while we wait for the day to get started.
Read more