Infusing Honey with Fresh Herbs
You can add a hint of fresh herb fl avor to your light and medium honeys. First, gather the herbs as early in the morning as possible while they’re still fresh and full of fl avor. Wash thoroughly under cold water to remove soil, spent fl flowers, and old leaves. Almost any herb can be used.
Consider delicate-fl avored herbs such as rose petals, chamomile, or lavender, or stronger herbs, such as rosemary, anise, or mint. Use a light, mildly fl avored spring honey. Once you’ve fi ltered your crop, fi ll pint jars about four-fi fths full so adding the herbs won’t create overfl ow. Purchase reus-able tea bags or make your own from fi ne mesh nylon from a fabric store. The bags should be 2 “to 4” (5 to 10 cm) square with either a drawstring or a clamp on the opening. Chop delicate-fl avored herbs into moderate to fi ne pieces and add 3 to 5 table-spoons to the mesh bag and seal. For stronger herbs, use 2 to 4 tablespoons. Place a bag in each jar and set in a sunny windowsill for 1 to 2 weeks. After the fi rst week, taste the honey, and if strong enough, remove the bag. If more fl avor is desired, either add more herbs or let the herbs steep in the sun for another week. After the fl avor has reached its peak, remove the honey from the windowsill, care-fully remove the bag of herbs, and discard it. The honey can then be rebottled in gift jars or to sell.
Warmed Infused Honey
You can, of course, speed up this process, and at the same time have better control of the intensity of the fl avor you add to the honey. This procedure requires a larger quantity of herbs, and heating the honey to 180 ° F (82 ° C). This will, to a degree For rosemary, for instance, crush the rosemary leaves to release the fl avor. Place in a plastic zip-top bag and roll over them with a rolling pin one way, then turn the bag 90 degrees and roll the other way, being careful to crush them just enough to release the fl avor. If you hold the open bag to your nose, there should be a strong, but not overwhelming, fragrance of the herb in the bag.
Warmed Infused Honey
You can, of course, speed up this process, and at the same time have better control of the intensity of the fl avor you add to the honey. This procedure requires a larger quantity of herbs, and heating the honey to 180 ° F (82 ° C). This will, to a degree For rosemary, for instance, crush the rosemary leaves to release the fl avor. Place in a plastic zip-top bag and roll over them with a rolling pin one way, then turn the bag 90 degrees and roll the other way, being careful to crush them just enough to release the fl avor. If you hold the open bag to your nose, there should be a strong, but not overwhelming, fragrance of the herb in the bag.