How to make flower infused honey

Once you know how to make flower infused honey you'll have an affordable way to add the health benefits and beauty of flowers into your day with ease!

This DIY floral infused honey a gorgeous edible and waste-free gift and perfect for your honey-loving friends. Honey is a liquid treasure trove of flavors and colors. It has been found that bees make honey from flowers near their hives, like orange trees or wildflowers in nature- which gives it's honey a different flavors, and that distinctive and their unique taste! In this post, I'll share all about making your own flower infused honey.

Reasons to make diy floral infused honey

• Honey and seasonal flowers are loaded with health benefits
• It's simple
• It makes a beautiful,  thoughtful gift

How to infuse honey

There are fast infusions, which include heating your honey and ingredients on low heat so that the honey takes on the flavor quickly. You can see an example of this in my garlic hot honey recipe. In this honey recipe, we use a slow infusion - and let the ingredients sit at room temperature for a long time. Slow methods are a great way to achieve stronger flavors and a little zen this holiday season.

Infusing honey is easy. One of the easiest recipes on the blog. And once you know how, the possibilities are endless. Simply choose your ingredients to place in a clean jar then cover it with your favorite local raw honey. It can sit and infuse from overnight - up to six weeks for more intense flavor. The honey mixture will infuse and take on new flavors, and the health benefits of the unique ingredients you choose. The flavor ideas are endless, and when gifted in a pretty jar? So thoughtful. You can also use different plants to celebrate the season. In the winter I love to make my winter spiced infused honey.

How to make this floral infused honey

The process is simple.

1) You start by selecting your ingredients. Which edible flowers will you choose? And where is the best place to find them? Having your own edible flower garden is the best place to get your edible flowers, but you can also forage wild plants safety and sustainably, or buy them organic. I will link some suggestions below.

2) You clean and your plant ingredients as directed, and cover in raw, local honey. Be careful to ensure the honey is covering all of the plant material to prevent mold.

3) You let flowers and herbs sit and infuse for 4-6 weeks in an airtight container.

4) You strain your flowers and herbs from the honey and use however you'd like!

Read my post on the best edible flowers to grow in your garden

Ways to use this infused honey

You can use floral honey any where that you would use honey. Tea, cocktails, homemade honey spoons, simple syrup, ice cream - like this lavender honey ice cream sundae, salad dressings. Even in skincare and beauty.

How do I know which flowers to choose?

Edible flowers to turn into candy can be used fresh or dried. I have an entire post dedicated to where to source edible flowers. I used a combination of both in my assortment of candied edible flower petals. Dried lavender made a beautiful addition to my cookies, and fresh pansies added so much beauty. Use whatever you would like that's safe. I have linked some at the bottom of this post. I also love everything byhttps://shop.gourmetsweetbotanicals.com

• Not every flower is safe to eat. Many flowers are considered poisonous. Make sure you have correctly identified your flower if you have foraged them.
• Don't use edible flowers from highly contaminated areas such roadways, chemically treated lawns, or areas with animals.
• If you haven't tried a particular flower in culinary uses, taste a small piece of the petal before consuming a whole petal. You can be allergic to flowers.

I love to use it in rose tea. 

Pick your edible flower

Some of my favorites are:

• lilac
• rose
• elderflower
• chamomile
• calendula
• lavender
• jasmin
• tiger lily
• hibiscus
• chives
• passionflower

Pick some herbs (optional)

Some favorite floral + herb combinations of mine are:

• lilac rosemary
• rose +rosemary - like in this rose and rosemary Paloma
• rose + mint - like in this rose mint iced green tea
• elderflower + thyme
• chamomile + parsley
• calendula + oregano
• lavender + mint
• jasmin + sage
• tiger lily + marjoram
• hibiscus + basil
• chives + mint

Pick your honey

You always want to choose raw, local honey for the best health benefits. And different honeys will have different flavors based on what the honey bee pollinated it with. 

love edible flowers? these resources may be useful to you:

• Ways to use edible flowers
• Popular edible flowers chart and their meaning - printable chart
• How to store and preserve edible flowers
• Edible flowers to grow in your garden
• Where to buy or find edible flowers for cookies and cakes

The recipe