as most of you know by now, in march i quit my government job of ten years and embarked on a new journey as the creative director for one of my most favourite restaurants in town charlotte and the quail. it has quite literally been the best decision {career wise} i have ever made in my life. i actually don't even think of work as work anymore, i absolutely love what i am doing. i have never thought of myself as a workaholic but it is all i want to do right now, literally, that is how much i love it. of course that still includes this work here on my journal, they both go hand in hand now which excites me to no end. they are the perfect combination.

what you may not know about this little restaurant of my heart is that it is situated amongst 10 acres of botanical gardens. yes you heard me right, i work in a dream space with a dream view. surrounded by blooming flowers, beautiful bonsai trees, the cutest and funniest chirping quails, garden kitties and cascading vines. it is magical and serene and a little, ok, a lot bit surreal. i pinch myself constantly.

the best part of having the surrounding gardens is how much i am learning about gardening and flowers and permaculture and all the things that come with being among 10 acres of pure natural beauty. i actually had no idea that lilacs were edible until hayley and i were talking and she let me in on their little edible secret. this post is really dedicated to her, as i would have never know this honey could be without her amazing culinary knowledge. she is a whiz in the kitchen and i just adore working and learning along side her.

besides infusing lilacs with honey you could also make a syrup out of them. something to pour on your sunday pancakes perhaps, or you know just drizzle a little of this honey.

their season is almost over, lilacs come and go much to fast in my opinion so if i were you i would go and do some neighbourhood combing as soon as you can to make this floral honey. i am sure if you let your neighbour know you were making some infused honey they would be more than happy to share some lilac stems in exchange for a small jar....or you know a little nighttime trimming escapade that no one will ever notice works too ;)

there are some suggestions on what to do with this lovely honey in the directions below. next week though i have a pastry dessert you will not want to miss, with this honey being the star of the show. until then enjoy those lilac blooms, your house will smell of fresh spring and their pop of purple will surely make anyone smile xx

lilac infused honey

ingredients

3/4 cup raw unpasteurized honey (preferably from a local beekeeper)

1/2 cup lilac flowers

directions

pick the lilac flowers off of the stem, rinse and wash them well. set the washed petals on some paper towel to dry. make sure the lilac flowers are dried completely before putting them in the honey.

add the lilac petals to a small {cleaned} glass jar and pour the honey on top, stir and add a tight-fitted lid. you can add more petals or honey as you see fit, depending on how much you want. let the honey and lilacs infuse for a week or longer until the desired taste is achieved. once you have the flavour you like strain the honey.

enjoy drizzled over desserts, (fyi, watch this space I have a yummy one coming next week using this honey), fresh fruit, ice cream, oatmeal, on toast with butter, or as a sweetener for tea and lemonade. The options are endless...