Soft Refrigerator Honeysuckle Jelly
From PICKLES & PRESERVES: a SAVOR THE SOUTH® cookbook by Andrea Weigl. Copyright ©
2014 by the University of North Carolina Press. Used by permission of the University of North Carolina
Press. www.uncpress.unc.edu
I can tell when the honeysuckle is in bloom. I catch whiffs of it traveling on the wind through the open car
windows when I’m driving or in the evening when I’m sitting on my screened porch. I was inspired to use
those fragrant flowers to create a jelly by chef Bill Smith. Each spring, Bill uses honeysuckle blossoms to
make a sorbet that he serves at Crook’s Corner restaurant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. One taste of
that sorbet transports people. It takes me back to being a gangly nine-year-old searching out honeysuckle
blossoms to suck the sweetness inside. (The children in my neighborhood call them honey suckers.) For
Bill’s recipe, check out his cookbook, Seasoned in the South: Recipes from Crook’s Corner and from
Home (New York: Workman, 2006). After many experiments, I discovered that I could use a honeysuckle
infusion, as Bill does in his sorbet, to make a jelly. This recipe makes more honeysuckle infusion than
you’ll need for the jelly. I use the leftover infusion to make lemonade. This jelly is delicious poured over
fresh sliced peaches.
Makes 2 half-pint jars
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4 cups honeysuckle blossoms, packed but not crushed, green parts removed, including leaves
and tips
5 1/3 cups cool water
Juice of half a large lemon
2/3 cup sugar
4 tablespoons instant pectin (also called no-cook freezer pectin)
Place the honeysuckle blossoms in a large nonreactive bowl and add the water. Use a plate to weigh
down the flowers so they’re completely submerged. Let sit out overnight.
The next day, strain the juice from the blossoms and reserve. Measure out 1 2/3 cups honeysuckle
infusion and place in a bowl. Add the lemon juice.
Combine the sugar and pectin in a large bowl. Stir to prevent lumps of pectin in the jelly.
Pour the honeysuckle mixture into the bowl with the pectin and sugar. Stir briskly with a whisk for 4
minutes until the mixture is thoroughly combined and starts to thicken.
Ladle the jelly into clean plastic freezer jars, seal with lids, and place in the refrigerator. The jelly will be
soft set after 24 hours and will keep for 1 month in the refrigerator.
Promotional Recipe Note:
This Soft Refrigerator Honeysuckle Jelly recipe is approved for promotional use with the provided credit
line. Please contact Gina Mahalek at (919) 962-0581 or gina_mahalek@unc.edu to request permission to
use any additional recipes from Andrea Weigl’s Pickles and Preserves.