“In the door-yard fronting an old farmhouse, near the white-wash’d palings, Stands the Lilac Bush, tall-growing…” _ Walt Whitman, When Lilacs Last in the Door-yard Bloom’d
Lilac season in New England is a brief thing, as I suppose it is wherever and whenever they bloom. For all the intensity of their scent, the purple petals of the lilacs are fragile things, too delicate to withstand the usual steaming process that produces most of our essential oils. And so, while the bushes are heavy with purple or grape or white blooms, we plop them into vases, drink deeply their heady perfume and devise ways to extend their magic in as many ways as possible.
So Peg, I was thinking of what I could write about these loveliest of lovelies and thought you might enjoy a taste of purple…and some magic.
One of the simplest of recipes is Lilac Sugar. All that is required is granulated or organic sugar, lilac petals and a clean jar. Begin by gathering fresh blossoms, shaking them thoroughly before bringing indoors to (hopefully) remove any tagalong insects, and then carefully pulling off the individual petals from the stems.
Lilac petals are quite small and this can take a while so put on some favorite music, an uplifting movie or just think of lovely sunlit days as you fill your bowl. (Peg, you can catch up on some of those screeners!) When you have enough petals—depending on the size or number of your jars — pour about 1/4 cup of sugar into your container, then add a layer of lilac petals, then another layer of sugar. Don’t worry about keeping the layers neat and orderly because when you have filled your jar and put the cover on, you are going to shake it and mix it all together.
Keep your jar(s) in a dark, warm place; shake every day and wait anywhere from 2-7 days for the lilac flavor to transfer to the sugar. (If at any time in this part of the process the sugar seems sticky or wet, spread it out on a baking sheet until dry.) Strain out the petals and here you now have some lovely sweet lilac sugar to sprinkle on confections or add to your tea. The taste is very delicate, so take care not to drown it with heavier flavors. It’s wonderfully refreshing in a light lemonade or tonic water.
I had some leftover petals so I also made a small batch of Lilac Simple Syrup: place 1 cup water/1 cup tightly packed lilac petals/1 cup sugar in a saucepan. Bring to light boil until sugar is melted; then reduce heat and simmer about 5-6 minutes. Let cool 30 minutes before pouring into clean jar. Refrigerate and use within 5 days.
Since lilac petals are edible, you can add them to honey (just plop ‘em in!) and freezing some clean petals in ice cubes might be a pretty way to savor them for a bit longer, too!
I hope you enjoyed my little trip down Lilac Lane, Peg! Here are some more recipes and methods to help make that purple magic happen:
from:
Feasting at Home: Lilac Water
Rainbow Plant Life: Lilac Lemon Cake (Vegan)
Life’s Little Sweets: Lilac Tea
Greenman Meadows: Using Lilac for Magic and Medicine
and I’m saving some of that Lilac Sugar for your next visit!
Always, Wren
This is so delightful in every way. I must agree the scent is beguiling and bewitching and I love the lush colors. I don't have a lilac growing in "my" yard at the moment but I'm happy to be able to pass by them in the neighborhood.
I'm so excited for this cool project! I'd love to try lilac sugar in some recipe...hmm, lilac sugar in shortbread? Lilac sugar cookies? Yum yum! Keep me posted on how your experiment turns out!
I had these blooming outside of my new apartment and I didn't know what they were but they smelled amazing. I thought they could be some sort of jasmine but I'm so happy to know they are lilacs now. All of the flowers are brown now but I did pick some the other day and put some in an oil and some in some alcohol just to experiment with. Thank you for this knowledge.