Everyone knows that honey is one of the garden’s most delectable treats. Some say you can even taste the nectar of the flowers of the region in which the honey was collected. But did you know that roses are another sweet-smelling garden product that has long been used in both cooking and herbal medicines? Combining the two yields a sweet, scented mixture. Whether it’s stirred into a cup of tea or spread on a fresh scone, rose-infused honey evokes the exquisiteness of a blooming garden on a warm summer day.
Supplies:
1 cup organic rose petals, fresh or dried
1 cup of honey, raw and local is best though any honey will work
8-ounce jar with lid
Chopstick or other narrow utensil for stirring
Directions:
1. If you are using fresh petals, clean them of any bugs or dirt and remove stems and leaves. Pack the petals in the jar.
2. Warm the honey until it flows easily (but nowhere near boiling).
3. Pour the honey in the jar until it’s about half full. Stir gently to mix well and try to remove any air bubbles. Cap tightly.
4. Let the jar sit for several hours or overnight. The petals will rise to the top. Stir them back in and top off the jar with the remaining honey, rewarmed.
5. With the cap screwed on tightly, let the honey steep in the jar for at least a month in a warm spot. Flip the jar occasionally, to make sure the petals remain mixed.
6. Serve the honey with the petals still in it. Or rewarm the mixture and strain out the honey through a sieve.
Tips:
- If using fresh roses, make sure they come from a bush that hasn’t been sprayed with pesticides. Do not use roses from the florist as these are all heavily sprayed. If using dried rose petals, make certain they are labelled as organically grown.
- The jar holding petals steeping in honey makes an attractive rustic decoration to enjoy while you wait for the infusion to steep.
- Use the rose-infused honey anywhere you would use plain honey.
- Urns of honey were found in King Tut’s tomb, food for a pharaoh in the afterlife. Greek and Roman mythology is full of stories of the gods and their roses. Put these two garden treasures together in rose-infused honey, and you have a treat with a long and storied history and a taste fit for a king.
Interested in growing your own roses to add to honey? Start here to learn about the main types of roses you can grow.
