---

Capturing the flavors and fragrances of spring and summer is something we all want to tackle. Imagine capturing the heavenly scent from your lilac bushes, lavender, roses, honeysuckle, or some of the fragrant and earthy scents from your herb garden. Yes, it is possible!

There are many ways to accomplish this but we will discuss infusion here today. You are truly only limited by your creativity and ingredients, so roll up your sleeves and let’s get started!

You can infuse everything from water, oils, butters, salts, sugars, to non-edibles like bath salts, bath oils, lotions, and salves. This is by no means a complete list of infusion options. Remember what I mentioned earlier, …limited only by your creativity and ingredients. Yes, well, it’s true! At my wedding reception I passed out infused bath salts to my guests in a variety of relaxing and stimulating scents.

For today’s project, we are going to infuse sugar with the heavenly scent of lilacs. I had a lilac tree outside of my office window for years. My favorite time of year was when it was in bloom, flooding my office with fragrance of springtime! I will use the infused sugar in everything from hot and iced teas, topping baked goods like cookies, scones, muffins, and cakes, just to name a few. I can dream up more uses, just give me some time and my kitchen!

My son’s house has loads of lilac bushes, in purple, lavender, bright pink, and white blooms. I went with the standard purple lilac for this project. I took cuttings of the blooms early in the day when the flowers had their strongest fragrance.

In a large bowl, I carefully pulled the blooms from the woody stems and dropped them into the large bowl filled with water. This step will remove any foreign pieces and hidden insects or spiders. I drained the water and rinsed the blooms once more in a colander.

After rinsing, I laid out paper towels across a large table to allow them to dry quickly. I prepared my mason jars and lids for the sugar. I used just plain white sugar but feel free to experiment.

I started by filling a layer of blooms in the bottom of each jar, then followed by a layer of sugar. Repeat with another layer of blooms, then sugar, and so on until each jar has been filled. Give each jar a gentle shake to ensure you haven’t overfilled them, since you will need to give them a good shake every few days or so.

I do not leave my jars near direct sunlight. I simply put them in the pantry and every few days, give each one a good shake. The goal is to continue mixing the blooms and the sugar over the next few weeks as the sugars are infused with the flavors and aroma of the lilac flowers.

The blooms will wilt over time but they should appear dry in the sugar-never moldy or have mildew. This is important. You do not want to eat that. Once you notice the blooms have dried, remove one of the lids so you can smell for results. You should have a nice lilac fragrance. If so, you are ready.

You have the choice now to leave the blooms intact inside the sugar, sift the sugar to remove the flowers, or simply add it to a small blender, like my NutriBullet, to grind the sugar and blooms together. Take care not to mix too much or you may end up with a powdered sugar.

Once you have the finished product you want, add it back to your jar and seal your lid tightly. I keep a small jar on hand near my hot teas, and a larger one with my baking supplies.