Wonder Wednesday 35: Make Honey Infusions

This Wonder Wednesday, Lucretia Jones, herbalist from House of Lukaya is taking the reigns! She is sharing with us her recipe for Mint and Sage Honey!

Did you read her interview yesterday? Inspiring, right?!! Are you empowered to bring herbs to a forward position in your everyday life? Missed it? That’s okay! Check it out today, there’s a link below!

Here Lucretia is wildcrafting an infusion of gorgeous chicory flowers. (Photo credit: Lucretia Jones.)

Also, after the activity instructions, be sure to check out her full bio and then head over to her site. She is a very interesting person!!

So what’s a honey infusion?

Honey infusions are are great way to preserve garden herbs for the months when they aren’t as available, whether that be in winter for those in temperate climates or summer for those in hot climates!

Honey infusions are great for both culinary and medicinal treats. Mary Poppins didn’t sing about a spoon full of sugar helping the medicine go down for nothing! The kids won’t run from the spoon if it has a honey infusion inside. They are gentle, taste delicious, and can be used everyday in as many ways as your imagination can invent.

Since infused honeys are so tasty on toast (or chips, or on your finger right out of the jar), they are a great project to make in the classroom with students of all ages as an extension for pollinator and honey explorations as well as for take home gifts or garden fundraisers.

Tie a bow around your infused honey jar, make a little gift tag, and voila! Practical, easy, and delicious garden gifts for all!

Lemon Balm (Photo credit: Lucretia Jones.)

And maybe, especially if you don’t have connections with a local beekeeper, get your honey for Lucretia’s infusion recipe from Justin at Stubbees Honey?  Just saying, since they are both this month’s interviewees! It’s what I used when I made this project with sage from my backyard. Check out the link below to explore Stubbees honey, or if you missed Justin’s interview!

Wonder Wednesday #35:

Honey Infusions

Recipe and Instructions by Herbalist Lucretia Jones of House of Lukaya

This is a great way to preserve summer herbs for use in the winter months.

Materials:

All you’ll need is a jar,

and enough honey and fresh mint or sage to fill the jar.

Prepare:

Harvest plants after flowering and before the frost.

Chop stalks and leaves, filling the jar to the top with herb.

Next, fill the jar with honey, poking with a chopstick or stray stalk to release air bubbles.

Be sure the herb is completely covered and fills the jar to the top.

Cap tightly and label with contents and date.

Store in a cool dark place but where you can watch the changes.

Wait 6 weeks, no need to strain the plant material.

Use:

Just scoop a spoonful into a cup and cover with boiling water.

A great warm up during cold days and perfect for sore throats!

A vigilant gardener she is! (Photo credit: Lucretia Jones.)

Lucretia’s  Bio:

House of Lukaya started out as a tiny table at the crossroads in the suburb where I grew up, I was 8 or 9 and “telling fortunes”. Even then my business model was somewhat unique.

From there the spiral of life has taken me to Virginia Commonwealth University for a BFA in Sculpture. Soon after, I found myself the proprietor of another tiny table, this time in New York’s Union Square, where my penchant for using natural materials and whatever happened to be around for my art making began to merge with my increasing interests in the plant world.

I began making body care products for myself in 2001. While exploring the many perspectives on the subject, I found a book by Susun Weed. Her reasonings about the different traditions of medicine, and how they can work together rang true for me. From there I jumped at the chance to apprentice at her wild wise woman’s goat farm, in Upstate New York. I began a live-in apprenticeship with her in 2003. The weeks spent living immersed in holistic study, coupled with the following years of workshop attendance and correspondence have been irreplaceable. Back in the city, I continued working with the plants and began making the creations born of that experience available to the public.

I moved back to my hometown in 2005 to be closer to my mother and reassess the life I wanted to live. The city had been an excellent teacher, and yet the physical environment had worn out its welcome in my heart.

My first website, blakmagikwoman.com, named for my childhood interpretation of the famous song, opened for business; and soon after my return, I began attending local markets. I found a storefront located across the street from the 17th Street Farmer’s Market, the oldest market in the US and a former auction place for enslaved Africans. 

A few artisans from the market and I opened what became House of Lukaya the shop. Five years later I made the difficult decision to close the storefront to refocus online at houseoflukaya.com and to reengage with my original ideas of plants for the people. After an excellent home birth experience in 2013, I continue along the path now as a mother, excited to see what each day brings!

I told you she was VERY creative, Very interesting,  and VERY awesome!

Share pics of your infusions on Instagram #wingswormsandwonder #houseoflukaya

Seeds to Sprout:

Read yesterday’s interview with Lucretia here and get another of her infusion recipes as well as her top 5 herbs for beginning herbalists!

Check out the House of Lukaya website here!

Follow Lucretia on Facebook here and on Instagram @lukaya !!

Check out the interview with beekeeper Justin Stubblefield of Stubbees Honey here!

Some of the House of Lukaya products!

They smell and work as beautifully as they look on the shelf!