Every year, our farm manager Andreas cares for and tends to our bees, truly collaborators in this little thing we call farming. Every year, that caring results in jars upon jars of sweet and wonderfully healing golden honey. 

This year, each house was gifted a few smaller jars of this very honey from last year’s harvest. The herb processing crew took one look at the amazing bounty and immediately decided to infuse their jars with a variety of herbs that they had been harvesting and processing.

Students scooped heaping spoonfuls of thyme, oregano, and mint into clean glass jars and poured the honey overtop. The jars were then tightly sealed with lids and passed around the table, flipped right side up and upside down as they made their way full circle. After everyone had the opportunity to turn the jar and watch the glowing honey combine and mix with the dried herbs, the jars were placed on the window sill to allow the sun to do her job. She gently and carefully warmed the honey just enough to release the healing powers of the herbs but not dull them, allowing them to flow into the sparkling nectar.

Every morning, the crew began their time together by collecting the jars and passing them around as they discussed the plan for the day. Each time, the herbs became more and more a part of the honey, giving it an aroma that grew daily. After a few weeks, the crew decided that the honey was ready, and it was time to sample what they and mother nature had created.

The herbs were strained out, and the sweet and sticky remnants of the dried leaves were given to the kitchen, who made a delicious salad dressing for the whole community’s lunch. The honey itself, though, was ready to be sampled.

One by one, everyone took a small taste…it was delicious! Herby, sweet, soothing, complex, warming, the list of descriptive words grew by the second. The experiment was a success and a tasty one at that. 

If you’d like to try to infuse honey of your own, please enjoy the recipe below.

Beaver Farm Breathe Easy Infused Honey

Ingredients:

5oz local honey

2tbsp dried oregano

2tsp dried thyme

1tsp dried mint

1. Scoop dried herb ingredients into an 8oz glass jar.
2. Slowly pour honey over herbs.
3. Place lid on jar tightly.
4. Rotate jar several times, allowing the herbs and honey to fully blend.
5. Place jar on a sunny window sill.
6. Repeat steps 4 & 5 every day for 3-5 weeks.
7. Strain honey into 6oz glass jar, slowly, allowing the same sun to warm the honey.
8. Use the honey soaked herbs for: salad dressings, marinades, baking, etc
9. To enjoy the honey itself, add to teas or even just hot water and stir. Be sure to breathe deep and enjoy the work you, the bees, the sun, and mother nature have all done to make this possible.