Honey Me This

Did you know that honey is one of natures super foods? Honey has been used by mankind for over 2500 years and is known for its antiseptic and anti-fungal properties, it is loaded with antioxidants that help boost your immune system and  when combined with warm water, cinnamon or lemon juice it can be used to help aid weight loss. Eating honey that is local to your area can also aid those who suffer from allergies by helping the body build immunity to local pollens. There are an infinite amount of applications to use honey, from cooking and baking to skin and wound care to easing a cough and sore throat. Just a quick side note, you should never feed honey to children under the age of  12 months due to the risk of botulism.

Ironically, most honey sold in the United States can hardly even be considered honey (source).  3/4 of the honey on grocery store shelves has been filtered so that all of the pollen is removed.

Why is the pollen so important? It is how honey is traced to a region. Different regions produce different flowers and pollen is a key ingredient in honey. Despite the fact that we have a  Food & Drug administration honey, unlike milk or meat, does not have a standard of identity. The lack of regulation enables potentially unsafe honey to make its way to our grocers shelf.  It is estimated that 1/3 of the honey on our store shelves has been smuggled in from China and contains traces of illegal antibiotics and heavy metals (Source) . 

How can you be sure that you are getting safe honey? Make sure that the honey you purchase is non-filtered. 

                         

When I buy honey, I buy from either of these two companies. I like them both, but for different reasons. The Sleeping Bear Farms honey is somewhat local to me and I can usually find it at my local grocer. It is made in the northern MI area, where I spent so many summers as a kid. I love the way the Star Thistle honey tastes, its like pure sunshine on a spoon. The Savannah Bee Company makes the best Tueplo honey I have ever tasted. This is the honey I use when I make Baklava. I also adore their line of body care products. The blackberry lip shimmer is my current go to lip gloss and the mint julep honey bar soap keeps my winter skin super soft and moisturized . It smells fantastic to boot.  Both companies have great reputations for being a quality product and if you get the chance, check out their websites.                                                             

I consider honey to be a mandatory kitchen staple since the variety of uses are endless. Did you know it never goes bad? From time to time it will crystallize and become cloudy in the jar. To return to its natural state put a pot of water on to boil. When it barely begins to boil place the jar of honey in the pot, turn the heat to low and let it heat up. The heat will make the honey clear again. When the jar is clear take it out of the pot and let it come to room temp before you put it away.

If you want to learn more about honey and find some links for great honey recipes check out The National Honey Board for more information.