Saturday, April 9, 2016

H is for Honey

HoneycombHoney is pretty incredible stuff. It is one of the few (if not the only) foods that doesn’t spoil. It is another thing I buy at Barrie’s Asparagus farm as they have a source from a local apiary. It is delicious honey and for me, having diabetes, it is wonderful for a quick sugar lift if and when necessary. I wish I could carry it with me but I have to rely on gummy bears or something then. Honey is made by honey bees and other less wellHoney known bees as well as honey wasps.  We only eat honey bee honey though.They collect the nectar from flowers and turn it into honey By a process of regurgitating and evaporation then storing it wax honeycombs for storage. Although it doesn’t spoil, it is not recommended for infants as it does sometimes contain a bacterium  Clostridium botulinum which can be dangerous to them. It has a long history and has been used for flavourings, making alcohol, and has a role in religion and symbolism. It’s flavours can differ depending on the bees’ source of nectar. One of the oldest drinks in the world is Mead or Honey Wine and if you are ambitious, you can Google recipes to make it. Apparently it has become a lot more popular since A Game of Thrones. I also read an article which I researched about crystallised honey. I knew there was nothing wrong with such honey, but was unaware that it was due to storage in cool temps. In fact crystallised honey is delicious on all kinds of things such as toast, muffins, oatmeal, rhubarb. You name it.  Only the pure honey bought from apiaries will crystallise as it is in it’s natural state and has not been processed in any way.

Here is an easier drink recipe using honey. Pale Ale is made in the States.

Honey Lime Ginger Pale Ale Shandy

IngredientsHoney Lime Ginger Pale Ale Shandy

1 cup honey
3/4 cup Fresh-squeezed lemon juice
6 cups Filtered water
1/3 cup Lime juice
1 inch Piece of fresh peeled gingeroot
Lime wheels for garnish
1 bottle Half Pints St. James Pale Ale

Directions

In a blender, combine honey, lemon and lime juice; process for about 30 seconds. Using a fine food rasp, grate ginger and add to blender with half the water; process for about 30 seconds. Pour contents from blender into a large mason jar with remaining water, stirring to mix, and place in fridge to chill.
To Assemble:
Pour half of beer into a tall chilled glass. Fill to top with chilled Honey Lime Ginger Lemonade. Garnish with a lime wheel and serve.

Have a great weekend.
Jo_thumb[2]

36 comments:

  1. In Murder & Obsession I used honey as part of a salve to help heal the wounds Steven receives during his fight with the bear. It's something the natives used.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes I have read about it being used to heal wounds before, Yolanda, could even have been in your book I guess. I think it is a wonderful food.

      Delete
  2. I like honey in things (that cocktail sounds lovely), but I don't like it on it's own - unlike my husband, who rather does :)
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fresh local honey is wonderful Natasha, it does't compare with the stuff they sell in most supermarkets where they have imported honey mixed with local.

      Delete
  3. I make my own salad dressing and always add a splash of honey. I also use it to cut the acidity of tomatoes in homemade pasta sauces.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds good Denise. Never thought of using it in tomato sauces, good idea.

      Delete
  4. I will use honey occasionally in recipes but only if i can't taste it. The smell alone makes my stomach churn. I used to like it as a kid but then I was horribly sick over the Thanksgiving holiday and my pediatrician was out of town. He called my mom back and told her a folk remedy to help my cough till he could see me on Monday. It was warm milk with honey and melted butter. It did help my cough but it was so awful tasting that the memory of it is making me nauseous. I haven't touched honey since then.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That mix would churn my stomach JoJo. Sounds horrid. Fresh local honey is so delicious, it is a pity if you can't eat it or use it. I like the idea above, using it to cut the acidity in tomato sauces. I never thought of that before.

      Delete
  5. Yum on the honey. What kills me though, is some crappy honey is cut with corn syrup. That bugs the crap out of me. But goooood honey, ah, that's the best.

    Happy Weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't know they did that Ivy, that would be crappy. I get gorgeous, fresh, local honey from the farm. I do have a store bought jar which is cut with Argentine honey and sold as Canadian!!! Not nearly as nice.

      Delete
    2. It's shameful. The same is true for maple syrups, sorghum syrups and agave syrup. It's a cheap way to increase volumn. And it bugs me beyond words.

      Delete
    3. I agree with you Ivy. Although I suppose some people can't afford the pure stuff, it does tend to be expensive. But I don't suppose that's the reason they do it at all.

      Delete
    4. And I'm okay with it if the label explains that the product is a blend. What gets my knickers in a twist is the lying.

      Awhile back when agave started to get popular, some brands were not disclosing their stuff was a blend.

      That bugs me.

      But you inspired me yet again and I made some notes to write about this for I'm not sure what, a post, the new site, not sure but anyway, to get it down on paper.

      So thanks!

      Delete
  6. That sounds like a refreshing drink :) I like to use honey occasionally in recipes :)

    betty

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like to eat it on toast Betty, I don't even butter the toast just spread it with honey.

      Delete
  7. I'm intrigued about the drink Jo ... doesn't the water make the beer go flat, or is that the idea? One to try at home when/if Summer ever arrives in the UK

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well there's not a lot of beer so I imagine it's more for the flavour Sue. Must admit I didn't think of it.

      Delete
  8. It was nice to know about honey. Honey has many medicinal benefits...

    ReplyDelete
  9. That recipe looks so delicious. I'm definitely going to try it. Thanks for posting!

    ReplyDelete
  10. That looks like a yummy drink. It took me a while to train my children not to store the honey in the frig. It kept ending up there.

    Susan Says

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yup, many people have trouble understanding it does not require refrigeration Susan. Took me a year or two myself.

      Delete
  11. I went to an outdoor performance of Twelfth Night once where the audience had to follow the cast around from scene to scene. We were given Mead to drink. It was delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, I wish I`d been with you, we`d have had a ball Pinky.

      Delete
  12. New follower here. I love honey, but I have a huge phobia of bees. In Judaism, we celebrate our New Year in the fall with apples and honey to signify wishes for a sweet new year. Love the honey, but not too fond of the source of it. Never knew it didn't spoil.. interesting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes I was aware of your celebration Morgan, I have a very good friend in Philadelphia who is Jewish. Bees are cute little beggars, not wasps, but bees are quite fluffy and pretty harmless. It is probably the only food which doesn't spoil.

      Delete
  13. We have two family members who are hobby bee keepers so we are lucky enough to get really fresh honey. There's nothing better IMHO,

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lucky you Helen. A friend in South Africa started having hives in her back garden although she wasn't looking after them. But, for some reason, the local authorities stopped it. Never quite sure why. She was really looking forward to getting honey and we were all encouraging her to try making mead.

      Delete
  14. I've heard that ingesting local honey can help with pollen allergies.

    That looks like a refreshing drink!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hadn't heard that Cynthia, but knowing the health benefits of honey, it wouldn't surprise me.

      Delete
  15. I like adding honey to my coffee and skip sugar!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Honey is certainly better for you Dixie.

      Delete
  16. The Waldorf Astoria Hotel is taking a leap into the unknown by keeping thousands of bees healthy. Honey is such a versatile and life saving ingredient, it up to all of us as humans to save the bees. I work in rehabilitation, we've lots of land and I've spoken to the financial controller. He doesn't seem too heavily convinced.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope it works. It is a wonderful ingredient, but the most vital part with bees is pollination. Maybe you should find out what foods the financial controller likes which are pollinated by bees and convince him he would hate to go without those things.

      Delete
  17. I love honey and can't be without it. I have toast and honey every morning. My hubby and I only use honey in tea or, for him, his coffee.

    ReplyDelete