One of the easiest, and loveliest, ways to preserve the bounty of a floral season is to make an infused honey. So many of our wild native flowers and also our non native garden varieties are edible. Some even have benefits to our health too.
Take our humble dandelion, taraxacum officinale, which can be seen growing abundantly at this time of the year, it is packed full of benefits that can be harnessed by making a simple infused honey. The dandelion contains potent antioxidants , which fight off excessive free radicals in our body, which can lead to illness and disease. They are also thought to help reduce inflammation in the body and promote healthy liver function. They are often a much disliked plant in our gardens but I think once you learn a little more about their benefits, not only to our pollinators but to our own health, you may see them in a different light.
Making a simple infused honey with dandelion flowers couldn’t be easier and you will have a delicious treat for your morning toast or porridge and in the darker times of the year it will bring a little of that Spring brightness to your table.
How to -
On a bright, sunny, day collect your fully opened dandelions. Make sure you are picking them from an area you know hasn’t been sprayed with chemicals. Also don’t collect all the flowers in one spot. Take a few and move to another spot. I think I read recently that there are 72 known insects that feed on our early dandelions so leave plenty for them too! You can use the full flower head or you can pick the petals off and just use the petals. I prefer to take the petals off when I make mine. This is purely from a lazy point of view because then I don’t have to strain off the petals. I can leave them in the honey and eat them too (much like you would eat the orange rind in marmalade!)
The humble dandelion, taraxacum officinale.
I leave my petals on a tray in the hotpress overnight so that there is no moisture on them but if you are picking them on a warm, sunny day this probably won’t be necessary. Pop them into a clean jar. You don’t want to pack the jar too much as you want the flowers or petals to be able move around once you add the honey. I would say start with the jar half full if using flower heads and a little less if using petals.
Dandelion petals, packed full of goodness!
Then fill your jar up with honey, give a really good stir and pop in a dark cupboard for a month or so to infuse, turning every so often. Just a note on the honey. I always use a raw, local honey when making mine. Its the best quality honey and it will have lots of its own benefits to add to the mix. However, if you can’t get a raw, local honey use the best you can get hold of. Don’t let it put you off trying this recipe. You will still get the benefits of the dandelions in your honey.
Use the best honey you can get your hands on - preferably a local, raw honey.
If you have used flower heads in your honey you may want to strain them out after your honey has been infusing for a month. Warming your honey slightly will make this a little easier to do. You can absolutely leave them in there if you want and spoon your honey out around them. Its entirely up to you and they do look pretty cool in there! I don’t refrigerate my honey and this will keep for a long time. The longest I’ve kept it is 18 months but its usually well gone before then!
If you want to strain out your petals or flower heads, gently heat your honey first until it is runnier and it will make the job easier.
There are lots of different flowers and herbs that you can infuse in honey. Lilac, calendula, sweet violets and rose all work really well. Thyme, sage and oregano are great herbs to infuse and are a powerful remedy to have in your cupboard if you get a sore throat or a cough/cold. You could try combining a flower & herb in one. A great combo that springs to mind would be thyme and calendula - antibacterial, anti inflammatory and really soothing.
So, there you have it. You could hardly even call it a recipe but I hope you feel inspired to go out and pick a few sunny dandelions and make your own pot of sunshine infused honey.
If you fancy trying your hand at another dandelion recipe my dandelion syrup recipe is here and over here you will find out how to make an infused oil and balm with dandelions too!