This is a cup of tea I brewed for Lammas, the festival of the first fruits of the harvest, using honeysuckle I picked from my garden. I collected a mugful of the flowers, washed them, put them in a teapot, poured on boiling water and left the brew to infuse. The resulting tea was a beautiful golden yellow colour and tasted delicately floral and slightly sweet - just like honeysuckle smells to be honest. It was really nice and refreshing.
Honeysuckle blooms all year round in my garden, but the flowers are particularly abundant at the moment. Magically, honeysuckle is said to promote psychic powers and can be used in spells for abundance, according to Rachel Patterson in her book A Kitchen Witch's World of Magical Plants and Herbs. It would be perfect to drink before doing a manifestation spell or a guided visualisation, such as this one called The Wise Woman's Cottage. According to folklore, if it grows around your home it will protect the property and all inside from ill-wishing. I suspect the scent alone would sweeten up any visitors walking through your garden.
As well as making honeysuckle tea, I'm planning on using the vines to weave baskets. I've not done much basketweaving before, so it will be an experiment. If anyone has any recommendations for books or other tuturials on crafting with honeysuckle, please leave a comment.
You can view A Kitchen Witch's World of Magical Plants and Herbs on Amazon. It's published by Moon Books.
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