With Mother’s Day and Memorial Day happening this month, there is an abundance of gorgeous flowers at the local markets. I recently came across a stunning pink bouquet of pesticide-free roses and took them home to experiment with rose petal-infused honey, without having actually found a solid recipe for it anywhere on the interwebs. Then, as kismet would have it, I came across a splendid tutorial on The Herb Companion for making herb-infused honey by our very own Kirsten Hudson. Using her advice, I experimented with my own take at rose-infused honey, and the results were just lovely. Here’s how to make this incredible infusion that will make you feel like a garden princess.

While the directions on The Herb Companion point out well enough how to infuse honey with general herbs, I imagine the proportions to measure out for fresh rose petals is quite different, as roses aren’t quite as concentrated in flavor and aroma as fresh-cut herbs. I took a guess in my measurements of how many rose petals to use. From about three roses, I gathered enough petals to total about 2 cups. You may want to add even more than this to your honey for extra flavor/aroma; if so, just stir in however much rose you’d like as will fit into the Mason jar. You can also try this recipe using dried rose petals, available at health food stores; if so, you’ll want to cut back on the amount of dried petals you add.

Fresh Rose Petal-Infused Honey

Ingredients

3 to 4 local, pesticide-free roses
1 (1-pound) jar local honey (about 2 cups total)

Method

Gently wash roses or wipe clean with a damp cloth.

Pick enough flowers to equal about 2 cups (eyeball it).

Place flowers inside a clean, dry Mason jar (big enough to hold about 2 to 4 cups total).

Pour honey directly over roses in jar.

If desired, stir in more rose petals at this time. Stir well and seal jar.

Leave on countertop for 1 week, until flavor and aroma suit your senses.

To strain, place Mason jar (still sealed) in a large pot of very hot water, not fully submerging. Honey will soften as the jar heats up. Once honey becomes warm enough to be runny, strain honey out into a new, cleaned Mason jar.

Infused honey is said to last for a few months if kept sealed in a cool, dark place. I’ve heard that honey will keep indefinitely, though, because of the natural preservatives inside it. Any takers on how long something like this will keep? Feel free to chime in!

All images by Kimberley Stakal