One of my favorite experiences growing up in Seattle was driving to the Puyallup Fair every September. We admired the enormous prize-winning animals, rode the roller coasters, and walked through the booths of “As Seen on TV” products. What I looked forward to the most was the Snoqualmie Valley Honey, and every year we stocked up on a variety of flavors for Rosh Hashanah. My whole family and I stood at the honey booth, taste-testing each one, from Washington Wild Blackberry (my favorite) to Clover and Peppermint, while my mom loaded up on honey bears and honey sticks for us to enjoy year-round. Since I no longer live in Seattle and always miss going to the fair, I love to make my own infused honey to use for the holidays. Every drizzle is a trip down memory lane and there is nothing more gratifying than making your own artisan honey.
The directions are the same for any flavored honey you choose, and the options are endless!
You can also start with naturally flavored honey as the base, for more complex flavor.
In a small saucepan set over low heat, warm the honey, add your herbs and spices, and stir. Cook on low for 10 minutes, remove from the heat, let the honey cool, and place in a glass jar to store.
Here are my favorite infusions:
Vanilla Bean Honey
1 cup honey
2 vanilla beans, sliced in half, lengthwise, to expose the inner seeds
Pumpkin Pie Spiced Honey
1 cup honey
3 cinnamon sticks
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Rosemary Honey
1 cup honey
5 rosemary sprigs
As seen in Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller Fall 2012, Subscribe Now!
I love infused honey, actually any honey at all. TFS!