Honeysuckle.... yummmm

As a child who doesn't remember the early days of summer? Mine were spent searching out the wonderful fragrant smell of a honeysuckle vine. We used to pinch the end and pull out the string to get the single drop of wonderful sweet nectar from the flowers. I still find myself searching out the delightful buds even as an adult!

 What many people don't realize is these wonderful gifts of nature also have powerful healing properties and health benefits. It has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and is often used in Chinese medicines to reduce fevers and sore throats. Right around the time these wonderful flowers came into bloom this year my family came down with a horrible sore throat and cough. I always prefer to try natures way before I pump us all full of harmful chemicals and food dyes found in commercial cough syrup. So out to our wild field I went to pick some flowers. 

I brought in my bounty and set to work making a nice sized batch of honeysuckle cough syrup. We took several spoonfuls throughout the day and all  were over our colds in just a few days. Here is the recipe I used. I made a large batch and one jar we used and the extra I put into the freezer, that way we have yummy natural cough syrup when cold season hits and all the flowers have frozen away.  

 How I made our syrup: I gathered a large bowl of honeysuckle flowers which would equal about 6 cups or so. (Do not ever use the berries as they are mildly poisonous.) Then put them in a stockpot with about 6 cups of boiling water. Simmer gently for about 10 to 15 minutes. Strain out the flowers and then add about 1/4 cup lemon juice and 2 cups of honey. I also added about a spoonful of echinacea powder (purple cone flower roots) to the mix, voilia you have a natural way to battle the sore throat buggies! Hint make some into mini Popsicle and the kiddos will love them the cold is very soothing to a sore throat!

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Once we were all feeling better I sent the kiddos out to pick some more blossoms before they all faded away this time to make some Honeysuckle Wine! I've never made it before but so far it seems to be turning out pretty good. It already has a decent taste and it hasn't aged yet. I couldn't find a simple recipe online that didn't involve ordering tons of professional wine stuff. I like to keep things simple and try to make things as "from scratch" as possible, and I know good and well adding all those sulfates and tannins what ever they are is not how they used to make it. So I made my own recipe. 

Now I like my wines on the sweet side so if you don't like sweet wines then this recipe isn't for you. 

This batch will make about a gallon container worth of wine... after you rack it and bottle it I got 2 full 1.5 Liter bottles and half of regular bottle of wine. 

Start with about 6 cups of blossoms and 6 cups of water bring to a slow boil add 6 cups of sugar. Add 1/4 cup of Lemon Juice and simmer for about 15minutes and then let cool to room temp. Strain out the blossoms and then put the liquid into your clean fermenting gallon jar or jug. Add one tsp of yeast and put an airlock on top (this is a device that lets the carbon dioxide from the fermenting yeast to escape but doesn't let air or bacteria back in) I will show how to make one cheap in another post. Leave this "bubble" for 2-4 weeks in a warm dark place. I put mine in a kitchen cabinet beside the fridge. When the bubbles have stopped forming rack the wine. This is where you siphon out the wine and leave the yeast in the bottom of the jug. Try not to get any of the settlement at the bottom of the jug this makes your wine taste nasty. (ask me how I know LOL) I put the wine in a new jug and add another cup of sugar at this point and let it bubble again for a few weeks. Then rack the wine a final time and put it into bottles. This wine is finished but needs to age. I recommend waiting at least 6 months to a year before enjoying your bounty!