Herbal Honey

I have been making herbal honey this week thanks to this article by a very wise woman/herbalist Ananda Wilson! I am completely obsessed now and have made almost a dozen blends or so thus far!

Herbal honey's are sometimes called by the proper "herbalist" name of electuaries. They are basically herbs and roots steeped in honey. A sweet way to take your medicine if you will! Many times these herbs are unpleasant on their own so this is a way to mask the taste. Other herbal honey blends on the other hand are just scrumptious to make! I am having fun trying to think up new blends to mix up! They are so cheap and easy to make! Plus they go great with herb tea or you could just eat it by the spoonful! If you do holiday gift giving they would make great gifts with some tea!

So far I have started;

catnip~ (nervine, mild analgesic)
ginger~ (upset stomach)
anise~(for digestive issues, heartburn, tastes yum!)
milk goddess blend- anise, coriander, blessed thistle, fenugreek, fennel~ (for promoting lactation for breastfeeding)
lavender~ (nervine)
cocoa/peppermint~ (just because it sounded yum!)



also, (not pictured);
lemon balm
rose
chai
chamomile
licorice
bee balm (pictured in an older post)


and in the works in the not so distant future (as soon as I get more jars, herbs and honey!);

pumpkin spice~
lavender cocoa~
rose/peach~
rose chai~
some type of immunity boosting honey~
vanilla bean and cinnamon honey~
lemon~ (Which is my ABSOLUTE favorite kind of honey! I am just unsure whether to use extract, essential oils or rinds for this one..hmm..)


To make herbal honey you will need some glass jars w/ tight fitting lids (canning jars work well), herbs, honey and cheesecloth/fine mesh strainer.

Put the herbs in the jar (I filled mine about 1/4 of the way), fill the rest of the jar with honey and stir with a butter knife, add more honey if needed, put the lid on. Let sit for 2-3 weeks. When it is done you will strain it through the cheesecloth/strainer and use the strained honey. You can heat it up a bit on the stove beforehand over low heat to make this easier. (Be sure to compost the herbs!)

The only problem I had was my ginger honey seems really watery. I had to actually pour off some water after the first day. I used fresh ginger so next time I will try dry and compare the two!