Step 1

Shake your bunches of lilacs to make sure there aren’t any small bugs hiding in there (I found a neon green bug in mine. It was actually kind of cool but of course, you don’t want those in your sugar).

Step 2

Delicately remove individual lilac blossoms from the stems. This take a few minutes but is very therapeutic. Play some calming music or turn on your favorite podcast.

Step 3

Fill your jar with about 1/4 of the sugar. Then add a large handful of lilac blossoms. Repeat in layers with the sugar and lilac blossoms.

Step 4

Seal the jar and shake it up to help evenly disperse the lilacs. Store the jar a cool, dry, dark place away from light and humidity, for at least 2 days, or up to 1 week. Make sure you shake the jar at least once a day to help evenly distribute the lilacs amongst the sugar.

Step 5

The sugar will get a little damp from the lilacs, so after a few hours or the next day, I like to dump the lilac sugar out on a parchment paper-lined tray or flat surface for an hour or so. That way the sugar dries up and loses the excess moisture. Return the lilac sugar to the jar and give it a shake.

Step 6

After at least 2 days or (or up to a week), pluck or sift out out the flowers. You can use it in recipes, in tea, or as a body scrub!