Recipe
Wild garlic leaf honey
- Herb:
- Wild garlic Allium ursinum
- Method:
- Honey macerate
- Plant part:
- Leaf
About 25 minBeginnerRecipe science profile
Procedure
- Chopped leaves: use only about one quarter of the jar — the aroma is very strong.
- Cover with honey, close, and macerate at most 1–2 weeks, then strain.
- Use drops at a time stirred into spreads or yoghurt.
Extraction
- Herb:
- a thin layer of chopped leaf according to the recipe
- Solvent:
- Honey as a maceration medium with low water activity; essential oils are released gradually.
- Shelf life:
- After straining, keep chilled and watch for changes in flavour or fermentation.
- Target compounds:
- Lipophilic and moderately polar constituents + some polar metabolites in the honey; the precise profile depends on how the leaf is cut and on temperature.
Notes
Harvest only with 100 % certain identification — do not confuse with lily of the valley (toxic).
Why it works
Macerating fresh or dried leaves in honey releases part of the aromatic and polar fractions into a viscous medium; concentration depends on ratio, storage temperature, and time. A home macerate is not equivalent to standardized extracts from the literature.
Related
Wild garlic — Herb card
Honey macerate — Processing method detail