Garden Gift: Make Your Own Infused Honey

To make your own infused honey you will need a clean glass jar and lid, herbs, fruit or spices and honey. Lighter honeys work best, as dark honeys may overpower the infused flavor. Your infusing ingredients should be dried before beginning the infusing process. Infused honey is not an exact science. Trust your taste buds—add more dried ingredients for a stronger flavor, and less for a milder honey. Experiment until you find the perfect balance for your tastes.

Rosemary infused honey creates a unique combination of flavors that is wonderful for cooking or adding to a snack. Place your dried rosemary in a jar and cover with honey. You can use whole or crushed dried rosemary for this honey, but the larger the pieces the easier it will be to strain the honey at the end. Let the herbs sit for up to 2 weeks. When you are happy with the flavor of your honey strain out the rosemary and enjoy! Try this honey with a sweet potato biscuit or as a glaze for chicken.

Turn your rosemary honey into the perfect gift with a bit of beautiful packaging. Create a stunning handmade card with a few sheets of solid paper and a glue stick. You can use blank cards, or simply fold a stiff piece of paper in half to create your basic card. Begin by cutting a rounded rectangle out of honey colored paper. The rectangle should be just smaller than the size of your card, centered and glued to the front. Cut two rosemary shapes out of green paper, layer them and glue onto your orange background. Include a sweet note and tie to the honey jar.

Lavender adds a delicate floral note to honey and works wonders in teas, on breads and in cookies. Place your dried lavender in a jar and fill with honey. Let sit up to 2 weeks, turning the jar occasionally to be sure the lavender stays covered with honey. When you are happy with the flavor strain out the dried lavender and enjoy!