Honey in the Morning

"Honey in the morning, honey in the evening, honey at supper time, be my little
honey and love me all the time."

What is honey?

It is nothing more than nectar gathered from the blossoms of many flowers by bees. It is then taken into the beehive and changed by the worker bees. Worker bees remove the liquid from the nectar. The finished product is heavy syrup with 12 to 20 percent moisture and 80 to 85 percent sugar. It is a good source of quick energy for the human body.

Fun Honey Facts

• The taste and color of honey varies depending on which flowers or herbs grow near the hive.
• Generally flavor is milder in the lighter honeys.
• Cream or chunky honey has bits of the honeycomb in it , which makes for a good spreading texture.
• Buying it local (and organic) can help seasonal allergy sufferers.

Important Note:

Don't store your honey in the fridge, it can cause it to crystallize and a grainy texture. What do you do if your honey has already crystallized? Stick it in the microwave oven for a short time (45 seconds with the lid off for a 12oz jar).

Chemistry factoid: Honey has a high fructose content and therefore has a higher sweetening power than sugar. Less honey can be used in place of sugar to achieve the desired sweetness in a recipe.

What to know if you do substitute with honey in a recipe

• reduce any liquid required by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey used
• add 1/2 tsp baking soda for each cup of honey
• reduce the oven temp by 25 degrees F to prevent over browning..

Uses for that liquid gold....

There are many uses for honey - this site suggests you have 3 bottles of honey your home.

1. For the Kitchen - especially on toast with butter.


2. For the Medicine Cabinet - claims of it curing everything from arthritis to constipation. Whenever we have sore or scratchy throats I always brew some hot green tea and add a squirt of honey and a dash of cayenne pepper. This soothes our inflamed throats.


3. For the Vanity - honey and oatmeal facial, here I come!
   

Honey is a SuperFood and we should all eat 1-2 tsp multiple times during the week.

Warning: Do not give to children under the age of 1 - it can cause botulism in infants.

To sum it up, honey my friends is yummy, nutritional, medicinal, and beautifying. Buy it local and organic and it is good to ward off seasonal allergies.