Sometimes it’s the simplest things that can make a difference. Take this infused herbal honey for instance. While it’s really quite easy to make, it takes something as wonderful as honey and makes it even better! I couldn’t believe how tasty this honey became, and it really got me thinking of ways to use it. I got the inspiration for this from The Fiercely DIY Guide to Seasonal Living from Kathie Lapcevic of Homespun Seasonal Living. This is an awesome little eBook that is full of great seasonal recipes and projects. Now let me show you how to make infused herbal honey!
How to Make Herbal Infused Honey
It really is as simple as letting an herb or flower of your choice steep in the honey for several weeks. Find a jar with a tight fitting lid and fill it about half full with fresh or dried herbs. You can use any number of herbs for this, Kathie suggests mint, lemon balm, lemon verbena, lavender, or rose petals. Even herbs that are usually thought of being more savory like rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, or basil would work nicely in this, especially when they are in flower.
I had a whole bunch of dried lavender flowers leftover from last season, so I decided to use them. Crush the herbs or flowers a bit with a wooden spoon, then fill the jar with honey, leaving a bit of space at the top. You may need to stir it up a bit to completely combine the herbs with the honey.
If your honey is super thick, you might want to gently warm it in a double boiler ahead of time. Seal the jar with a lid and put it in a sunny window. Every so often, turn the jar over. I suggest doing this on a small plate in case of leakage.
After 3-4 weeks, the honey will be infused. Strain out the herbs, gently warming the honey again if it is really thick.
It took a little while for all the honey to run through the strainer, and it was a bit messy, but oh man was it worth it! A suggestion I was given after the fact is to use a canning funnel under the strainer – this will create far less mess!
Now I keep thinking of all the things I can use this infused herbal honey for!
Kathie has a few recipes in her book, The Fiercely DIY Guide to Seasonal Living, plus many more for all of the seasons. The book also has seasonal arts and crafts projects, nature inspiration, and advice for planning ahead for the coming seasons. It’s a really great eBook, I recommend that you check it out!
Now back to this honey. I’m thinking an infused herbal honey mead is in order! In fact, I probably wouldn’t even strain out the herbs or flowers if I was going to make mead until after the brewing process. I brewed the wildflower mead I made last year right with the flowers in it, and turned out wonderful.
Now go out and start being fiercely DIY!
Honey Infusions
Now that you’re hooked on infusing honey try a few of these other beautiful recipes!
- Fermented Elderberry Honey
- Fermented Honey Garlic
- Lilac Flower Infused Honey
- Fermented Honey Cranberries
Lavender Infused Honey
Instructions
- Place the lavender into a clean glass jar, then crush with a wooden spoon. Add the honey to the jar. Stir to completely combine the lavender into the honey.
- Seal the jar with a lid, then place into a sunny window. Every few days, turn the jar over. Infused 3-4 weeks total.
- Strain out the herbs using a canning funnel under a mesh strainer. Gently rewarm the honey in double-boiler if it's too thick. Store the strained infused lavender honey in a lidded jar.
Notes
- Alternate herbs you could use would be mint, lemon balm, lemon verbena, lavender, or rose petals. Even herbs that are usually thought of being more savory like rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, or basil would work nicely in this, especially when they are in flower.
Great website, love the fermentation recipes
Hi, can I use fresh lavender instead of dried?
Thank you!
Deborah, yes, you can use dried lavender, but be aware that the honey may ferment and you’ll need to burp the jar every day until fermentation stops.
Quick question, do you suppose I could use the flowers or whichever herb I choose in baking after the infusion? Or will they have lost too much flavour?
Hi Alex. You could, but I’d imagine most of their flavor would be lost to the honey.
I have done a jar with fresh sage and a jar with chopped ginger but I have left it in a dark cupboard for a week. Will I have any problems with botulism? Is this safe to eat?
As long as the herbs are completely submerged under the honey and there’s no mold, it should be fine.
Hi, Colleen.
I’d like to know how long this lavender honey lasts if ysing dried lavender, please? Thus is my 1st time doing a recipe like this (infused honey). Are there signs to look for if it goes bad?
Thanks,
Ari 💜
Hi Ari. Infused honey will last a year or more. The only sign that honey has gone bad is if it turns white and hard.
Hi Colleen,
Like Soraya Suarez V, I too would like to know if you can use Eucalyptus, or only Eucalyptus oil, or just the flowers.
Thank you
David E
No, I don’t believe you can. Sorry!
Hi. I’m going to do this with my lemon balm for the first time. When done how long will it keep for?
Thank you
As long as you use dried lemon balm, it should last many months, if not years.
Oh. I used fresh lemon balm from my garden. I assume this will change the time span?
The water content in the lemon balm will likely ferment the honey, but it’ll still be shelf stable for many months.
Thank you
You’re welcome!
Do you have a concern for the growth of the bacteria that maybe on the lavender?
Hi Terry, that’s not really a concern of mine! If anything there may be some wild yeast present, which doesn’t pose any issues.
My lavender honey had bubbles – does this mean it’s bad? It’s been steeping for about 2 weeks
No, that should be perfectly fine!
Can you make a quick honey infusion in a water bath as you would an infused oil? I would love to gift this, but don’t have weeks to wait. Thanks,
Yes, you can, however, be aware that heating raw honey above 90 degrees will kill off any of the good antioxidants and enzymes within it.
Why not put your herb or flower in cheesecloth tied off? Saturate the herb well, when infusion is complete squeeze cheesecloth well! No mess no fuss!
I haven’t tried it myself, but that could work!
I left my half filled honey + lavender jar on top of my refrigerator, and forgot about it…for 8 weeks…oops! Is it still good since I used dried lavender? Thank you! <3
Hi, Cari! Yes, that should totally fine as long as your flowers were submerged under the honey.
Hi! I’m wondering if I could use herbs to help with flu season–echinacea, elderberry, etc–to create a strong infusion and then use the honey with tea later. Do you think it would retain a lot of the benefits or would I be better off using the herbs to make a tea directly when needed?
Hi Kierstin. Yes, your infused honey will retain most of its herbal immune-boosting benefits and is perfect in tea.
Hi, I like so much, please, Can i do with eucaliptus??
If doing a mead, I would use this I the secondary racking, as the flavors will be more true to your infusion. When you use it as your primary honey, it changes the entire flavor throughout fermentation.
Could you just use lavender leaf for this honey steeping ?
Hmm, you could, but I’m not sure how that would turn out taste wise.