Sure Signs of Spring
Even if spring isn’t your season, there is something magical about witnessing the world come to life again after a long, harsh winter. Warmer mornings are greeted by chirping birds and peep frogs serenade the night. Tender buds emerge from barren bushes and naked tree branches are cloaked with lacy red tips. It’s like Mother Nature awakens with a rush of adrenaline and breathes life into the stillness of winter. I never tire of spotting the first purple crocus wake from its lengthy slumber or dainty, white snow drops peeking through the earth no longer willing to be silenced beneath a blanket of tainted snow. Spring is a magnificent time of year indeed.
Yellow is such a welcoming color. It feels warm and comforting to me, so I delight in any signs of it during March and April. Daffodils are definitely a revered harbinger of spring and command attention with their vibrant yellow blossoms, often scattered among beds of brown, dead leaves. More proof that spring has arrived are the cascades of untamed forsythia branches sprawling along boundary lines in a bright explosion of golden yellow color. Whether a haven for nesting birds or natural boundary markers, forsythia has claimed a rightful place in our yards as a desirable companion but its delicate beauty goes beyond that.
When my daughters were little, they couldn’t pronounce the word forsythia. Instead, they referred to it as a “forcynthia” bush. How cute is that! A spring tradition my family had was making wreaths out of them to wear as crowns. It helped the girls appreciate the beauty of nature while still using their imagination to prance around and pretend to be somebody else for an afternoon. When they were done with that, we’d make mud pies decorated with forsythia blossoms or collect a few branches to put in a vase on the kitchen table. I have so many fond memories of spending time with my daughters doing simple activities like this. It doesn’t take much work to create a special memory and this is proof.
Forsythia is Edible
But what else can you do with forsythia beyond look at it? Forsythia is a shrub and is part of the olive family. Its fruit has been used as a medicinal herb in traditional Chinese medicine to treat inflammation or bacterial and viral infections. However, the average person can still enjoy this plant with limited experience of herbs. For starters, it is edible. Like violets and dandelions, you can use forsythia as a garnish on salads, in baked goods, or infused in honey. If nibbling on this seasonal beauty doesn’t appeal to you, then you can use it topically in skin care products such as facial toner, toner, or body creams.
A quick way to enjoy forsythia is to make a simple syrup out of it. Like other flowers and herbs, it can be turned into a seasonal cocktail. It has a very delicate, floral taste and adds a hint of flavor you won’t normally encounter in traditional drinks. It’s always fun to mix your own drinks, so don’t let the scarcity of recipes deter you from customizing a drink of your own. If you know you like a certain drink that requires simple syrup, consider substituting your own simple syrup. In this case, it will be forsythia but you can easily do this with violet, lavender, or any other edible flower. I suggest tasting a few blossoms first to see if you like the taste. If so, go for it!
Forsythia Recipes
Simple syrup is so easy to make! The only thing you need to remember is that you use equal parts of the three ingredients and each batch will last up to 3 months in your refrigerator.
Simple Syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup blossoms
Find blossoms that are not near a roadside or have been exposed to pesticides. Check the picked blossoms for bugs. I don’t even rinse mine. In a saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat and add the blossoms. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Strain one or two times until the liquid is clear. You will notice it has turned a soft yellow color. Pour into a glass container and return to the refrigerator.
Forsythia Gin Cocktail
In a cocktail shaker combine:
2 ounces of gin (Bombay Sapphire)
1 ounce of lemon vodka (Plume and Petal – Lemon Drift)
½ ounce forsythia simple syrup
Splash of lavender liqueur (Wild Moon)
Juice of 1 lemon
Add ice and top with lemon seltzer. Garnish with a slice of lemon and sprig of mint.
This recipe is a work in progress. For a more robust cocktail, adjust seltzer to your taste. I liked it without the seltzer but knew it would have to be one and done. I found that adding some seltzer created a light, refreshing cocktail suitable for enjoying more than one glass. Feel free to experiment with ratios and alcohol. This is simply what I had on hand to use.
Happy spring!