Bee Balm is not just another pretty flower! Here are 10 ways to use bee balm in the kitchen. Check out all the bee balm uses and recipe ideas below.
You just can’t help but love the name of this amazing plant. Bee Balm not only has a sweet name and beautiful blooms, but it has so many practical uses as well. Easy to grow and care for, Bee Balm is a wonderful addition to any garden or landscape where the gardener is looking for visual appeal as well as function. So what exactly can Bee Balm be used for? You might just be surprised at the many bee balm uses that are both culinary and medicinal! Take a look below at how Bee Balm can be not only beneficial to your garden, but incorporated into your home as well.
Note that Bee Balm can be found at any of your local gardening centers and even home improvement stores. You can also find it at farmer’s markets. It is easy to find and rather inexpensive, costing just a few dollars for a six-inch potted plant. Since it is a perennial, there is no need to replant your Bee Balm each year as it will return on its own bigger and stronger each spring!
10 Ways to Use Bee Balm
1. Use bee balm as a natural antiseptic.
Did you get a cut or scratch while gardening? Bee Balm is a natural antiseptic. Simply tear off a leaf or small portion of the stem and apply the liquid inside to your minor cuts and scrapes.
2. Soothe a sore throat with Bee Balm.
Place the leaves and blooms of Bee Balm in a tea kettle or pot and add water. Boil on the stove and breathe in the steam that is released. It is ideal for relieving sore throats and bronchial irritation.
3. Soothe a sore tummy.
You can boil a few of the bee balm leaves or blooms in your tea (just strain before drinking) and it will give your tea may soothe an irritated stomach due to over eating, menstrual pain, or the common cold. Use this bee balm tea recipe if you want detailed directions.
4. Get a good night’s sleep.
Bee Balm is excellent for helping you doze off in a blissful state each evening! You can boil it again in your tea or remove the flowers and place them in a muslin bag. The bag can go near your pillow where you will inhale the relaxing aroma.
5. Freshen up a small space with dried bee balm flowers.
The blooms on a Bee Balm plant are quite fragrant and make a perfect addition to homemade potpourri. Break off the blooms and dry them, then crumble and add to any of your potpourri mixtures or just sprinkle in a small space for added freshness.
6. Give your jelly a boost.
The mild, minty flavor of the Bee Balm plant make it perfect for spicing up jelly. Apple jelly is especially tasty when Bee Balm leaves are added and allowed to permeate the mixture.
7. Season your meats.
Lamb and fish can be seasoned using dried and crumbled Bee Balm. Use it in place of Oregano or in addition to it for a mild minty flavor that is still quite savory and a nice addition to your meat dishes.
8. Spice up your salads.
Bee Balm leaves can add a fresh boost to your fruit and vegetable salads. Just clean a few leaves and toss the right in. The flavor added will be a savory, minty flavor that is especially nice in fruit dishes.
9. Use as a beverage garnish.
The leaves of Bee Balm are nice when added to ice tea or lemonade. Perk up your summer drinks by tossing a few clean leaves right in. This is a great substitution for mint leaves.
10. Brighten up a dull space.
Last but not least, Bee Balm is a colorful addition to a small space needing some color. Snip a few of the blooms and place in a small vase. Place in your bathroom, bedroom, or any space that can use a little color!
Can you believe how many wonderful uses there are for Bee Balm? If you are excited to try Bee Balm in your home, take a look below at a simple recipe you can try this weekend. Bee Balm Bread is a tasty and easy to make bread that uses this practical plant as one of its star ingredients. Take a look at how you can make your own.
Printable Bee Balm Bread Recipe
- 1 cup of warm water
- 1 package of dry yeast
- ⅓ cup warm water
- 3 tablespoons of butter
- 1 teaspoon of honey
- 4 cups of flour
- 1 cup of bee balm flowers. Just peel off the soft petals to use with this recipe.
- 1 egg
- Add the yeast, water, butter, and honey to your mixing bowl and stir well.
- Add your flour and bee balm next, stirring well as you do. You will notice your dough starting to form.
- Using your hands, mold the dough into a ball.
- Place the ball in a bowl or on a cookie sheet (greased) and allow an hour for it to rise.
- Place on a surface dusted with flour and knead for 10 minutes.
- Divide the ball of dough in half and mold into two loaves.
- Place your two loaves on a lightly greased baking sheet and cover with a damp towel.
- Allow more time to rise, at least 20 minutes is sufficient.
- Brush the top of the bread with an egg wash and sprinkle with any remaining petals.
- Bake your bread at 400' F for 45 minutes, or until bread is golden.
This bread is tasty when served with butter, jelly, or your favorite breakfast spread. Give it a try and see how tasty the Bee Balm makes this easy to create bread. It is sure to become one of your favorites!
Terry says
Great article. I dry beebalm petals and leaves on a window screen in the sun on the porch.
Mix with dried elderflowers, dried calendula, lemon verbena, etc. (dry these) to make herbal tea. Good for sleep.
I also add dried crab apple leaves and other things (including dried elderberries), and then I bag the tea in organic tea bags (easy to buy). Keeps for a year in a tin.
We also make elderflower wine and cordial and champagne, but haven’t tried adding beebalm yet. May do!
Deborah Elliott says
If I use instant yeast do I still add water?
Jeannie Self says
Can one freeze the flowers for later use in the bread recipe?
Lisa says
I planted one pot of bee balm , Two years later it has taken over my whole flower garden. It grows really quick and may cover more area than you’d like. It does have a smell and attracts butterflies, hummingbirds,and bees.
Suzy says
I put mine in a container to prevent invasion. Don’t know yet if the seeds will cause an invasion anyway.
Suzanne says
Bee Balm has rhizomes hat travel under ground to pop up and grow. There really aren’t seeds, per se.
Jennifer says
what type of flour? Bread flower? Or all purpose flour?
Alea Milham says
all-purpose flour
Jeanne says
Most of all, it is great for attracting bees to your garden, along with humming birds!
Gail says
I have some bee balm in my yard, and love to look out at the flowers. I didn’t know they had a scent, though.
Pauline Wiles says
I’d never heard of Bee Balm… what a fun-looking and versatile plant! I’ll look out for it.