It’s the time of year when you walk outside and a wave of sweet scent washes over you. Even with days of brush cutting, we have loads of honeysuckle along the edges of our property, all of which is loaded with flowers now.

A couple of days ago I got a message from my friend and neighbor Rita: “Do you want to pick honeysuckle?” So funny; it was like she read my mind! I had been thinking of sending her the same message myself.

I scurried across the street with my basket, and we spent an hour or so chatting and picking, our fingers tinged yellow with thick pollen in no time at all.

When I got home I measured out my flowers and mixed them with equal parts boiling water.

This morning when I strained out the infusion, I lined the strainer with a coffee filter. It was thick with that sweet pollen.

For now I froze the infusion so I can focus my energy on picking while the flowers are just right.