Photography by Chia Chong
Styling by Libbie Summers
Model: THE Miss Molly Woods
Inspired by The Fragrant Tea Olive Bush
February 14, 2013
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.
More Inspiration

December 11, 2014
Cookie Swap: Hot Hot Chocolate Cookies
Recipe and Styling by Libbie Summers Photography by Chia Chong Chocolate cookies with a kick in the ass! Swap these only with the coolest people on your gift list! HOT […]

August 22, 2012
How To: Jillian’s Organic Chic Corn Projects
Jillian admired the delicate corn-husks as she sprayed them with water then ironed them flat. After placing them under books for a night, she arranged the husks on the floor and carefully hot-glued each one to the next creating a large half-lace, half-lattice cover for the table she had just freshly painted her favorite color; lilac.

November 4, 2012
Behind the Scenes with Korean Food
Behind the scenes with Korean food.