STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The gentle floral scent wafting through New York City isn’t an imaginary sensation. With June roses and Linden trees 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.
From the fences surrounding Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens along Henderson Avenue and in other New York City Parks, honeysuckle blooms are everywhere — and right now imparting their sweet perfume all over New York City. (Advance/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri)
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.
Virginia creeper is often found with honeysuckle. The five-leaved vine is invasive but not toxic, although it's not edible.(Advance/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri)
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.
Aly Stoffo repeats the old adage, “Shiny leaves of three, let it be. And don’t be a dope, and don’t touch the hairy rope!” (Advance/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri)
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.”
Honeysuckle tea can be sweetened. When petals are steeped, they yield a pleasant earthy flavor. Staff-Shot
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.
“Don’t boil away the petals in steam. The flowers are delicate,” Stoffo advises. She recommends steeping them for about 15 minutes before straining and serving either hot or chilled.
Pamela Silvestri is Advance/SILive.com Food Editor. As a native of Staten Island where honeysuckle is all over the place, she’s lives to write about eating the flower. In the meantime she can be reached at silvestri@siadvance.com.