STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The gentle floral scent wafting through New York City isn’t an imaginary sensation. With June roses come yellow-and-white honeysuckle blooms, along with their very real, intoxicating perfume.
That enticing honeysuckle scent carried on warm summer breezes comes from a vine that produces more than just a pretty fragrance. The flowers hold a tiny drop of edible nectar that is deliciously sweet.
Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) produces a dew drop of honey-like liquid. Accessing this natural treat requires a gentle technique—pinching the trumpet base of the flower and squeezing slightly to extract a tiny drop of the sweet nectar.
For many New York natives like myself, tasting honeysuckle nectar brings back fond childhood memories. The practice involves precision, often easier for small fingers that can delicately handle the fragile blooms.
Local flora educator Aly Stoffo, known as the “Glam Gardener NYC,” cautions those foraging for honeysuckle to be vigilant about poison ivy. The toxic stuff often grows among the happier stuff. She shares a helpful reminder for identifying the hazardous plant: “Shiny leaves of three, let it be. And don’t be a dope, and don’t touch the hairy rope!”
The “hairy rope” refers to the thick, hairy stem of poison ivy vines. Year round when disturbed, those can be just as itch-inducing as the leaves themselves.
Trumpet flowers forever
Honeysuckle has a rich history in North America, having arrived in 1806 and first taking root in Long Island. Its medicinal properties date back much further, with Tom’s of Maine noting that Chinese medicine first recorded honeysuckle’s cooling properties in 659 A.D., when it was used to treat snake bites by “drawing out the ‘hot’ toxin and essentially cooling down the patient.”
Beyond its sweet taste and fragrance, honeysuckle flowers can be used to make a delicate tea. Stoffo, who uses the flowers in teaching demonstrations because their parts are easily identifiable, recommends a gentle brewing method. She adds the blooms to water, brings it to a boil, then immediately removes it from heat and covers the pot…