The Green Witch: Your Complete Guide to the Natural Magic of Herbs, Flowers, Essential Oils, and More - Arin Murphy-Hiscock 2017
Add Sweetness with Infused Sugars
Green Witch Kitchen Recipes
Walking the Green Path
Flavored sugars can be used in the place of any regular sugar when baking or to sweeten tea. Try it over granola or muesli at breakfast or sprinkle it over buttered toast for a sweet treat. Add a teaspoonful of infused sugar to whipped cream as you beat it for a gentle floral flavor to enhance fresh berries or cake. To make a flavored sugar try this method:
1. Layer clean dry herbs or spices with granulated sugar and cap tightly.
2. Allow to mature for at least three weeks. If the flavorings you have chosen are strong (for example, cinnamon or clove), check on the flavor of the sugar after two weeks. If they are very delicate, you may wish to leave the herbs longer to strengthen the flavor.
Do not use powdered herbs or spices for this project. Use whole or cracked seeds or fruit. For example, insert whole cloves, or break up a cinnamon stick and push the smaller pieces of the stick into the sugar.
For floral sugars it’s important to separate the petals and make sure that no green matter remains attached to them. You may wish to snip away the white end of the petal (the pistil) where it joins the stem. Make certain that the flower you have chosen is an edible one. Although you will sift out the petals when you are done, the oils and flavor of the petal will remain, and as interesting as the flower smells, you cannot judge the safety of its taste by such means.
Here are some recommended flowers and herbs to use alone or in combination to create delicious infused sugars:
✵ Lavender
✵ Vanilla bean
✵ Rose
✵ Violet
✵ Mint leaves
✵ Orange blossom
✵ Scented geranium
INFUSED SUGAR
Do not substitute dried spices such as cinnamon or clove for the herbs in this recipe; the resulting flavor of the sugar will be too intense. For a sugar made with dried spices, see the following recipe for Spiced Sugar.
Makes 1 cup of infused herbal or floral sugar
✵ Clean, dry glass jar with tight-fitting lid
✵ 1 cup granulated sugar
✵ 1 cup clean, dry, fresh flowers or herbs
1. Pour 1/4 cup of sugar into the bottom of the glass jar.
2. Spread 1/4 cup of herbs or flower petals on top of the sugar.
3. Pour another 1/4 cup of sugar over the herbs.
4. Repeat with herbal layer, followed by sugar layer, another herbal layer, and a sugar layer. Leave about a 1/2 inch of room at the top of the jar.
5. Cap the jar securely and shake the mixture to disperse the herbal matter throughout the sugar.
6. Place the sugar jar in a cool, dark place and allow it to sit for 3 weeks to 1 month before using.
7. If you intend to bake or cook with infused sugar, sift out the herbal matter. If you leave the herbs or flowers in the sugar, remember that the longer it sits, the more flavorful it becomes. As you use the sugar, fill the jar with more unflavored sugar. Cap and shake it and it will take on the fragrance of the flowers in the jar.
8. If you live in a humid environment, keep a close eye on the herbs or flowers, as they may begin to mold or rot. If this happens, then the sugar must be thrown out. To avoid this, make certain that all the herbs and flowers are completely dry when you begin, and sift the plant matter out of the sugar once the flavor reaches the intensity you prefer.
SPICED SUGAR
This recipe creates a lovely spiced sugar suitable for baking, flavoring coffee or strong black tea, and adding to crumble toppings of coffee cakes or fruit crisps. If you make a sugar with only one spice (such as cinnamon sugar), you can simply snap a cinnamon stick in several places and insert it into a small jar of sugar. Leave this jar in a cool, dry place to mature for at least 2 weeks. As you use the sugar, replace it with fresh granulated sugar and shake it.
✵ 1 cup granulated sugar
✵ 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
✵ 1 teaspoon ground cloves
✵ 1 teaspoon nutmeg
✵ 2 teaspoons ground ginger
✵ Clean, dry glass jar with tight lid
1. In a small bowl, blend the spices together.
2. Pour 1/4 cup of sugar in the bottom of the jar.
3. Sprinkle 1/4 of the spice blend on top.
4. Cover the spice blend with another 1/4 cup of sugar. Repeat layering, topping with the final 1/4 cup of sugar. Leave approximately 1/2 inch of room at the top of the jar before capping securely.
5. Shake the mixture to blend it.
6. Place the jar of sugar in a cool, dark place and allow it to sit for 2 weeks before using.
7. If you do not have ground cinnamon or cloves, crack a cinnamon stick in several places and add that in with a clove or two per layer of spice. Remember to sift the sugar before using it. Add a scored vanilla bean to the spiced sugar for an even more delicious treat!