Photography by Chia Chong
Styling by Libbie Summers
Model: THE Miss Molly Woods
Osmanthus Fragrans, better known as the Fragrant Tea Olive, is a prolific grower in the American South. The bush produces small white blooms (usually in late winter, signaling the beginning of spring) with an unusually sweet scent that one might describe as a cross between a rose and a jasmine – with a kiss of gardenia. Folks from Savannah, Georgia to Oxford, Mississippi plant Tea Olive bushes near swinging screen doors and open windows so on breezy days the fragrance will fill their homes. Here’s what we didn’t know about the flowers from the Fragrant Tea Olive –you can cook with them! Across the Asian continent, chefs have been using the delicate white buds to make a type of sweet syrup used in many recipes. This week we’ll show you the simple steps to making the syrup AND give you a step by step tutorial on how to make a Tea Olive infused Fried Donut Braid.
In honor of St. Valentine’s Day we’ll leave you with something sweet to view.
