Lavender honey can be natural or artificial, with natural honey being of higher quality and made from lavender nectar. Bees collect nectar and transfer it to honeycomb, where it is broken down and thickened. Homemade lavender-infused honey is cheaper and made by simmering lavender flowers in honey. Lavender honey is versatile and can be used in cooking and baking.
There are two main types of lavender honey: natural and artificial. Bees that collect nectar from lavender plants can produce delicious honey that smells and even tastes like lavender flowers. Since this can be a bit expensive, some people make lavender-infused honey. This is usually done by cooking the lavender flowers in honey and letting the flowers sit in the honey for several days before straining.
Natural lavender honey is a monofloral honey. This means that honey is mainly made from one type of flower nectar, in this case lavender nectar. Beekeepers who wish to harvest this type of honey generally place their hives very close to a large field of lavender flowers.
When worker bees collect lavender nectar, it is transferred to an organ called a honey stomach. This isn’t a true stomach, however, and the nectar isn’t digested unless the bee absolutely needs to. Once the bee returns to the hive, the nectar is passed from bee to bee.
The saliva in the mouth of bees contains a special enzyme that breaks down the sugar in the nectar. The nectar is then spat out onto the walls of the honeycomb. Subsequently, the water in the nectar begins to evaporate rapidly. This evaporation thickens the lavender honey until it is removed from the hive by beekeepers.
Natural lavender honey is usually very light in color and is considered to be of the highest quality. It has a distinct aroma of lavender and tastes a little lavender too. While homemade lavender honey is generally not as high quality as natural lavender honey, it is often much less expensive.
When making lavender-infused honey, most culinary experts recommend using a light-colored honey. Fresh or dried lavender flowers can also be used. The flowers are usually mixed into the honey and the mixture is then simmered for several minutes
The honey and flowers are then transferred to glass jars and sealed. For extra flavour, the flowers should be steeped in honey for a couple of days. After this time, the flowers are usually strained from the honey. The new lavender-infused honey can then be transferred to clean glass jars.
People who like to cook with honey or bake with honey will often like lavender honey. This type of honey is very versatile and can be added to many types of food and drink. It can be topped with hot pancakes, for example, or it can be used to sweeten tea. Honey can also be used as a marinade for meats or can be added to baked goods, such as bread or muffins.
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