Create · Do It Yourself · Ideas & Tips

Honey Infusions DIY

Constance @ LiveEatCreate

Honey is one of nature’s miracles. It is a delicious ingredient in many foods, has antibacterial properties, works as a moisturizer when used in homemade cosmetics, soothes a cough or sore throat, and makes your tea beverage about 100times better both in taste and quality -and all that’s just scratching the surface really. Honey is truly the liquid gold and whether you’re using it as a sweetener, or trying to kick a cough, it’s just plain useful.

Buying good quality fresh raw honey at a reasonable price is one of the things I missed ever since we moved abroad. Strong dark bitter honey such as chestnut or pine tree honey is my top choice back home, but I wouldn’t say no to a nice fresh blossom one. Infusing honey is a technique I learned from my mum who has a passion about not wasting anything from her supplies and generally make the most out of them. In that spirit, while I would never dare to infuse top quality fresh honey, infusing medium quality or last years leftovers  with herbs has become one of my favorite ways to enhance it, and creatively use my herbs,or use a handful of wild mint found while foraging, or the buds of an edible flower bouquet. It couldn’t be easier to do. And if you start now, there’s plenty of time to make them for holiday gifts, too.

honee_jars

There are two ways to prepare herbal infused honey with herbs. The first is to make infused honey with dried herbs or spices. The second method is making infused honey with fresh roots.

1. Infused Honey with Herbs and Spices

Basic formula: Use about 1-2 tablespoons of dried herbs per 1 cup of honey.

Honey: A light, mild flavored honey generally works best.

Herbs: Use a single herb preferably or a combination if you feel adventurous. Rosemary, sage, thyme, mint, lemon balm, lavender, chamomile, and rose petals all make lovely infused honeys. You can also use spices like vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise. Herbs should be dry; see instructions below.

Equipment
Clean, dry jars and lids.
Chopstick, wooden spoon handle, or other stirrer.
Clean cloth for wiping jar rims.
Strainer.

honeyinfusionpour

Instructions

1. Prepare herbs: Herbs should be dry and may be in the form of whole sprigs or separated leaves, buds, and petals. Chopped herbs may infuse more quickly, but they may also be harder to strain out.

2. Combine herbs and honey: Place herbs in the bottom of a jar and fill the jar almost to the top with honey. Using a chopstick or other implement, stir to coat the herbs with honey. Top off with more honey to fill the jar. Wipe the jar rim with a clean cloth and cover tightly.

Tip: Label the jar with the contents and date so you don’t forget!

3. Infuse: Let the herbs infuse for at least 5 days. If the herbs float to the top, turn the jar over a few times to keep them well coated. For a more intense flavor, infuse for another week or longer (I go as much as 3 weeks).

4. Strain: Strain the honey into a clean jar.

Tip: Use the leftover herbs to make a herbal tea.

5. Store: Store the honey in a tightly covered jar in a cool, dry place. It will last indefinitely.

how-to-infuse-honey-spices-rest

2. Infused Honey with Fresh Roots

Equipment

  • Crock pot
  • Clean dry jars and lids
  • Strainer

Instructions

1. Scrub the roots clean and let dry completely. Once dry, roughly chop the roots.

2. Measure out 1 part roots to 4 parts honey. For example, 1 cup roots to 4 cups of honey.

3. Throw the roots and honey into a crock pot on low and let it gently bubble away for 4-6 hours

4. Strain out the herbs with a stainless steel strainer into the jar.

The best fresh roots for this method include: Garlic, angelica, horseradish, echinacea roots, ginseng, ginger

How to Use Infused Honey

How might one use herb-infused honey? The possibilities are endless. Use it to sweeten tea, lemonade, fruit, and baked goods; stir it into salad dressings and marinades; or serve it with a cheese plate. Herbal honeys may also be used medicinally, for example, sage honey to relieve a sore throat or chamomile honey to promote relaxation. I generally like to create single-herb honeys, but you can also get creative and prepare a blend – maybe your own signature honey!

Till next time…

Love Constance

 

Images via Crunchybetty & Pixabay

43 thoughts on “Honey Infusions DIY”

  1. Have you ever heard about Manuka honey? It is one of the most therapeutic honey available in the world. The original Manuka honey comes from New Zealand. There are many Manuka honey uses that range from healing sore throats and digestive illnesses, to curing infections and gingivitis. It is one of nature’s richest antimicrobial sources. It’s worth trying a spoonful!!!! 🍯

    Liked by 4 people

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      1. Manuka honey comes from manuka and tea tree. In Maori dialect means “small tree” . There are lots of them in New Zealand, Tasmania and Australia. There is no difference in colour but in taste, it has a strong flavour. You can find a range of different strengths in Manuka honey, 10+, 20+ or 30+. I recommend the 20+. A spoonful in a cup of herbal tea helps a lot with a cold or soar throat.

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        1. What are the odds? I stumbled across manuka honey yesterday at the organic market in The Hague! 21 euro for 150ml is rather expensive, isn’t it, or is this the normal price? Thanks for introducing me to this wonderful product, me and my husband both adored the smell and taste of it… I wish I could find it at a more reasonable price!

          Liked by 2 people

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          1. Yes it’s normal price. It’s expensive depends where it comes from and the strength. The more stronger the Manuka is the more expensive it is. We pay for 500gr 60$ to 70$ (42-50€) I’m glad you liked it!

            Liked by 2 people

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            1. Oh my! I thought I overpaid it because it is imported in Europe but it is expensive for you as well! In Greece, my country of origin, I could find top quality Erica-plant Honey, which is considered the King of honey in the Mediterranean (it is thick and blurry like manuka, but much darker and has amazing healing properties) for the price of 12-14 euro per kilo! Ohh how I miss buying honey from Greece!

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  11. The wife and I really love this blog and appreciate the creativity and do it yourself spirit you provide. If you ever want to take this blog to the next level by offering a Mobile App version my company Zenlight would love to help for an extremely low price, we appreciate the hard work you have put into this blog and wish you all future success in business and in life.

    Thank you for your time, it is the most precious thing we all possess.
    -Jacque’

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Hello Jacque and wife, thank you very much for this nice and supportive comment. It really made my day. It is exactly comments like this that make me want to become a better blogger. I apologize for not answering immediately but we are still trying to adjust in our new home and find our steps here in Netherlands. Taking this blog to the next level is in my future plans so I will keep in touch with you for this generous offer 😉
      Take care
      Constance

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Hi Constance, you are most welcome.I love to see people who are passionate about life and have the courage to spread that passion and creativity to others. My passion is in helping others through my talents. I was programming a mobile app for one of the bloggers here free of charge and his app got denied from the Google play store because it had advertisements throughout the blog. Your blog is clean and neat and if you want I could create you an android application free also. It would keep my skills sharp and give you something new and fun to play around with.

        Congratulations on your new home!
        -Jacque’

        Liked by 2 people

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  13. My grandpa has honey hives, and we harvest from it a couple times a year and every time we are overflowing with honey! I would love to try these recipes they sound very fun and delicious to make! 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

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