A good trim leaves you with more herbs than one cup of tea can use. Before the extras go in the compost, turn them into something for the house, the table or a friend. Here are five ideas, from a 10-minute simmer pot to a jar of your own blend wrapped as a gift.
At a glance
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Simmer pot: orange thyme, holy basil and citrus peel for a house that smells like the holidays
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Herb syrup: spearmint, lemon balm or Thai basil for iced tea and drinks
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Flower ice cubes: viola petals and mint leaves frozen into ice
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Infused honey: dried holy basil or orange thyme stirred into your next cup
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Gift jars: a dried blend from your own plants, labeled and ready to give
1. Make a stovetop simmer pot
Fill a small pot with water and add a few sprigs of orange thyme and holy basil, a handful of orange or lemon peel, and a cinnamon stick if you have one. Bring it to a simmer, then turn it to the lowest heat. Top it up with water as it reduces.
It's the easiest way to make the house smell warm before guests arrive. On the table, light the Solstice Herbal Candle. Its notes of holy basil and orange thyme, with fig and santal, carry the same scent from the stove to the room.
Starter plants: Orange Thyme, Holy Basil
2. Stir up an herb syrup
Combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan and heat until the sugar dissolves. Take it off the heat, add a big handful of spearmint, lemon balm or Thai basil, and steep for 20 to 30 minutes. Strain into a clean jar and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Splash it into iced tea, sparkling water or a holiday spritz. Thai basil syrup with lime and soda is a crowd-pleaser.
Starter plants: Spearmint, Lemon Balm, Thai Basil
3. Freeze flowers and leaves into ice
Fill an ice cube tray halfway with water, drop in viola flowers, calendula petals or small spearmint leaves, and freeze. Then top up with water and freeze again so the petals stay suspended in the middle. Boiled and cooled water freezes clearer.
They turn a pitcher of iced tea or a glass of water into something worth setting out for guests.
Starter plants: Viola, Calendula, Spearmint
4. Infuse a jar of honey
Use dried herbs for this one, since fresh herbs add moisture that can spoil honey. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of dried holy basil, orange thyme or sage to a cup of honey, stir, and let it sit for a week or two, turning the jar now and then. Strain if you like, or leave the herbs in.
A spoonful in your evening tea ties the whole ritual together: herbs you grew, sweetening tea you grew. (Here's how to dry them first.)
Starter plants:Holy Basil (Tulsi), Orange Thyme, Sage
5. Give a jar of your own blend
Dry a few of your herbs, mix them in the same parts as one of our blends, and pack them into a small jar with a handwritten tag: the blend name, what's in it, and how to brew it. A jar of Last Light (holy basil, lemon balm, spearmint) or Cold Snap (orange thyme, sage, oregano) makes a host gift nobody else will bring.
Tuck it in with a tea infuser, and it's a whole gift.
And then compost the rest
Woody stems, spent flowers and anything past its best can go back to the compost bin. Nothing was wasted.
