Honeysuckle Sweet Tea

Honeysuckle Vine JENRON DESIGNS

Honeysuckle Sweet Tea

Have you ever tried Honeysuckle Sweet Tea? It is a true southern delicacy and only available once a year.

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I always know when summer is just around the corner here in Georgia. The honeysuckle vine will start to bloom and fill the air with the sweet fragrance that reminds me of sitting on the porch swing on summer nights during my youth. Honeysuckle Sweet Tea is a true southern delicacy and only comes around once a year, so you must take advantage of it when you can.

Wild Honeysuckle Vine JENRON DESIGNSHoneysuckle Tea is an old southern recipe that immediately takes me back to hunting for fireflies at dusk on these late spring and early summer evenings. As a kid we were so lucky to have a wild Honeysuckle vine that grew along our fence which backed up to a small creek. I remember my friends and I would spend what seemed like hours plucking the golden blossoms and carefully exposing that single drop of savory honey.

Southern Honeysuckle Sweet Tea JENRON DESIGNSNow 35 years later,  I am so very lucky to have a home with a large wood line that backs up to a creek where the wild honey suckle grows in my backyard. It is honeysuckle season and this year I was able to catch it at full bloom to harvest a large quantity needed to make a few pitchers of a coveted southern favorite, Honeysuckle Sweet Tea. Gathering Honeysuckle Vine for Tea JENRON DESIGNSSo a grabbed a bucket and filled it with some water to keep the vine fresh along with some clippers and went foraging. First, let me say that the aroma alone was heavenly, and I found myself partaking in a few straight off the vine, just like when I was a kid. I even called my sweet husband over for a few, which immediately took him back to his youth and we started to share never before told stories which was fun…. ahhh the simple pleasures. A glass of Honeysuckle Sweet Tea JENRON DESIGNSSo as I gather the vine, my goal was to get ones that had a lot with golden yellow blossoms, since those will yield the most flavor. Once I had enough, I took them back up to my potting bench seen in the picture. I removed the golden blossoms, rinsed in cool water and store them in a covered container over night in a refrigerator to get all of the bugs off the plants. I also stored the remaining vine for floral decorating in my floral cooler in the original bucket. Brewing Honeysuckle Sweet Tea JENRON DESIGNSWhen prepping for the tea, remove the green stem and bulb base at the bottom of the flowers but be sure to  NOT pull out the stamen, that is where the honey is located. Then follow the simple recipe below:

PItcher of Honeysuckle Tea JENRON DESIGNS
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5 from 24 votes

Honeysuckle Sweet Tea

Course Drinks
Cuisine Soul, Southern
Keyword Cocktails, Comfort Food, Drinks, Tea
Prep Time 1 day
Cook Time 3 hours
1 hour
Total Time 1 day 4 hours
Servings 4 people
Author Jennifer Gainer

Equipment

  • Pitcher
  • Stock Pot
  • Strainer
  • Kettle

Ingredients

  • 4 cups Honeysuckle Blossoms
  • 1 pinch Baking Soda
  • 4 cups Water
  • 1 Honey or Stevia optional
  • 1 Mint or Lemon Thyme optional

Instructions

  • Pluck the blossoms from the honeysuckle vine, try to choose the most yellow/golden flowers for the sweetest flavor.
  • Rinse in cool water and store in a covered container over night in a refrigerator to get bugs off the plants.
  • Remove the green stem and bulb base at the bottom of the flowers. DO NOT pull out the stamen, that is where the honey is located.
  • Bring  3-4 cups of water to boil in a kettle on the stove and pour over the flowers. Stir the flowers very gently and then place a cover over your pitcher.
  • The flowers will need to  steep for a minimum of 1 hour, but I highly recommend 2-3 hours for a nice stronger flavor. I also like to put mine in a sunny window as you would with a sun tea.
  • While warm add a pinch of baking soda during this process as I do with all teas to draw out the flavors and removes bitterness (this is a southern sweet tea trick for all tea) 
  •  Pour tea into a pitch through a strainer to the honeysuckle flowers and any other debris from your tea. 
  • Tea can be stored in refrigerator for a week in an airtight container, however for best results served immediately over ice.
  • Fill a large glass with ice. Pour the honeysuckle water over the ice. Sweeten with desired sweetener we prefer local honey or stevia. Garnish with fresh mint, or lemon thyme.You can adjust taste by adding water if the flavor is too strong. Enjoy!

Add Lemon Thyme to Honeysuckle Sweet Tea JENRON DESIGNSI have heard that honeysuckle contains many healing properties for inflammation, headaches, colds, fevers, and even arthritis. I personally have never experienced any of these since I only get it once a year, but I do enjoy this little taste of the south! So, I just had to share this honey based, home brewed tea, which was perfect this season with my Honey Bee Tablescape theme. Hopefully this recipe gets to you before honeysuckle season is in full bloom in your area so you can give it a try, because you are going to love it!

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22 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Loved this especially when it has so many healing properties! Definitely will try

  2. 5 stars
    Oh my gosh, Jen! That looks so delicious. And the way you picture it being served makes me want to show up at your house and pull up a chair!

  3. Samy

    5 stars
    Who knew that one could get such sweet nectar literally from your garden- love it!

  4. 5 stars
    I have never had honeysuckle tea and I’ve been a southern girl my entire life! But its so weird to read this because I just had a dream about honeysuckle and the smell was so amazing in my sleep! ha! But I haven’t seen any around here in ages. Now, I need honeysuckle in my life!

  5. 5 stars
    I have never tried this, but your recipe has me craving some sweet tea on a hot day! Bookmarking this recipe for when I have honey suckle blossoms 🙂

  6. 5 stars
    This looks amazing! I’ve actually never heard of Honeysuckle tea! Sounds beyond perfect for summer though!

    -madi xo |

  7. 5 stars
    Wow! This is an amazing thing to talk about. I love growing fruits and veggies in my garden, but I haven’t grown herbs before. I would like to try it seeing the good effects of this Honeysuckle Tea!

  8. 5 stars
    Didn’t hear about it, but will definitely try as I love trying different tea 😊

  9. 5 stars
    I have never heard of it but it looks so very delicious and perfect for summer . It looks so refreshing .

  10. Shar

    This is an interesting herbal drink! I must try it. Your photos are great, as usual.

  11. What a great reward from nature to have honeysuckle growing in your backyard! Love it! And I love Honeysuckle tea. I have to try this recipe!

  12. Never tried honeysuckle tea. Your recipe and pics are great. We are learning about plants in class and what learning to share here

  13. Amber Myers

    5 stars
    Yum! I love sweet tea. I’ve never tried this version. I’ll have to because I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.

  14. 5 stars
    This is so nice, I didn’t know you could make tea from honeysuckle, I need to try this~

  15. 5 stars
    I’ve always heard about this but I’ve never had it! It sounds lovely! What a great drink for those who can get their hands on this lovely bloom!

  16. Bella

    5 stars
    I have never had honeysuckle tea before! I totally need to try this. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

  17. This looks delicious I love sweet tea in summer

  18. Amber Myers

    5 stars
    Ooo yum I love sweet tea. I haven’t tried this flavor before so I am excited to give it a taste.

  19. 5 stars
    This honeysuckle sweet tea is the perfect warm-weather cooldown. Perfect to sit and enjoy in the afternoon.

  20. Tisha

    5 stars
    This tea looks amazing! I have to try it

  21. 5 stars
    Oh my gosh! I had no idea this was a thing! Can’t wait to try it!

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