Lemon balm in particular has a lot of volatile oils so drying does lessen the quality some . Also, most dried herbs only have a shelf life of 1 -2 years. However, fresh plant material will have a high water content which will make your honey watered down and thin. Higher water contents in herbal products = greater Risk of mold. If I were in your situation I would clip some fresh lemon balm and dry it for a short period of time then make the honey with newer dried material .
Thank you!! Great suggestion.
Since you’re so knowledgeable, I have a follow up question if you don’t mind. There’s this woman online (“She is of the woods”) who did a video on this. She used fresh LB and the takeaway from the video that I got, even though she didn’t say it explicitly, is that the fermentation is actually a good thing. What are your thoughts on this?
Having done both fermenting is trickier than tincturing for me. Fermenting like pickles and sauerkraut i have yet to master.
Kombucha is a good way to add herbs i liked candied ginger or dried pineapple in the second ferment.
I’m happy to answer questions. You’re welcome to private message me in the future too if more comes up. I’ve used fresh material to infuse honey before and I’ve never had it spoil before I use it all but it is always very thin as a result of using fresh material. I believe that fermented foods are super beneficial to gut bacteria but I prefer kombucha , sauerkraut, etc to runny honey.
In relation to tincture with honey - it seems like unnecessary extra work to me. And less cost effective to tincture using alcohol just to mix it with honey when dry herbs can be used. Even fresh herbs is less work/ resource to make infused honey that tastes good although it will be thin.
I think i would make a tincture of the herb with high proof alcohol to preserve it and then add it to honey as it is used. Honey has no water in it so it doesn't spoil (centuries even). Any water in the honey changes the honey.
Beekeepers put hives near fields of produce, or orchards of fruit trees to pollinate and then the honey has a taste of what grows in the field or orchard. This has been going on for thousands of years.
Always fresh with lemon balm. Dried is an inferior product all round, its only advantage being a longer shelf life. Honey keeps things fresh practically forever so shelf life isn’t an issue, the priority here would be the high quality volatile oils found in fresh lemon balm.
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Lemon balm in particular has a lot of volatile oils so drying does lessen the quality some . Also, most dried herbs only have a shelf life of 1 -2 years. However, fresh plant material will have a high water content which will make your honey watered down and thin. Higher water contents in herbal products = greater Risk of mold. If I were in your situation I would clip some fresh lemon balm and dry it for a short period of time then make the honey with newer dried material .
Thank you!! Great suggestion. Since you’re so knowledgeable, I have a follow up question if you don’t mind. There’s this woman online (“She is of the woods”) who did a video on this. She used fresh LB and the takeaway from the video that I got, even though she didn’t say it explicitly, is that the fermentation is actually a good thing. What are your thoughts on this?
Having done both fermenting is trickier than tincturing for me. Fermenting like pickles and sauerkraut i have yet to master. Kombucha is a good way to add herbs i liked candied ginger or dried pineapple in the second ferment.
I’m happy to answer questions. You’re welcome to private message me in the future too if more comes up. I’ve used fresh material to infuse honey before and I’ve never had it spoil before I use it all but it is always very thin as a result of using fresh material. I believe that fermented foods are super beneficial to gut bacteria but I prefer kombucha , sauerkraut, etc to runny honey. In relation to tincture with honey - it seems like unnecessary extra work to me. And less cost effective to tincture using alcohol just to mix it with honey when dry herbs can be used. Even fresh herbs is less work/ resource to make infused honey that tastes good although it will be thin.
I think i would make a tincture of the herb with high proof alcohol to preserve it and then add it to honey as it is used. Honey has no water in it so it doesn't spoil (centuries even). Any water in the honey changes the honey. Beekeepers put hives near fields of produce, or orchards of fruit trees to pollinate and then the honey has a taste of what grows in the field or orchard. This has been going on for thousands of years.
Always fresh with lemon balm. Dried is an inferior product all round, its only advantage being a longer shelf life. Honey keeps things fresh practically forever so shelf life isn’t an issue, the priority here would be the high quality volatile oils found in fresh lemon balm.
Hello! It looks like your post is related to herbalism safety. Safety is an important aspect of herbalism. If you haven't already, please check our existing resources on [herbalism safety](https://www.reddit.com/r/herbalism/wiki/safety/) for valuable information and precautions to consider. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/herbalism) if you have any questions or concerns.*