I know there are a lot of people who follow recipes, and I also know that I sometimes drive them crazy. This is about to be one of those times.
It started out innocently enough. I needed to drop something off at my sister's house, and as I walked out past her herb garden, the sage plant caught my eye. It is gorgeous (especially compared to my wee little first year plant) and I just had to pick some of it. "Sage honey," I thought.
By the time I got home 5 minutes later, lemons were in play as well as some echinacea roots that I dug last week. Honestly, the honey may not extract anything from the roots, but there are so many that it seemed like something to try. I put the items together, took a picture, and posted it to the facebook page.
Because of that, someone asked about adding ginger. That's a great idea, except I have a full jar of ginger honey. But ... maybe I'll go get some thyme in the garden! This might be a good time to mention that while I was out there picking the Elfin thyme that has spread like a carpet under the vitex bush, some tiny animal (vole, mouse, chipmunk?) living under the nearby yucca was positively livid at my intrusion, and eventually he drove me off.
As I passed the rosemary waving in the breeze, a few sprigs were pinched off and added to the mix.
Once inside, the thyme went into the bottom of the jar, some echinacea roots went on top, rosemary along the side. Sage chopped and filled the bulk of the space, with sliced lemons on the sides and top. The lemons work nicely to hold the herbs under the surface, by the way.
Then the thrill of pouring from a full quart jar of honey into a pint jar that is full of herbs. That was touch and go, there for a while, but I grabbed a knife and helped it work down through the plant matter.
So there it is. The recipe. To me, this is the best part about working with herbs at home. Measurements like, "fill a jar," "a handful," or "a bunch," really work just fine, for the most part. That's right up my alley. Now, I'd better label that jar while I still remember what's in it.
It will sit (probably in the refrigerator) for a month or so, until we need it to add to a tea for a cold or sore throat. We *might* heat it a little and strain it, or we might just leave everything in there and spoon out the honey around the herbs. We'll decide when the time comes.
