Living is like licking honey
About Honey
Actions of Honey | Types of Honey | Frequently Asked Questions
Honey, well known as nature's original sweetener, is being rediscovered as a natural way to better health. Honey has always been prized for its delicious sweetness and flavor, but did you know that through the centuries honey has been valued for therapeutic and medicinal uses?
- The ancient Egyptians used honey to treat cataracts, open wounds, cuts and burns.
- Hippocrates, the Greek physician, praised honey's healing powers and formulated many honey-based cures for ailments like skin disorders, ulcers and sores.
- Physicians in ancient Rome used honey to help their patients fall asleep.
- In World War I, German doctors used honey mixed with cod liver oil to surgically dress soldier's wounds. Raw honey can be used as an emergency medical dressing. In fact, wounds that will not heal often will do so if treated with honey.
- For years, opera singers have used honey to boost their energy and soothe their throats before performances.
Honey is a miracle food, an instant source of energy that contains all the essential minerals necessary for life, a wide array of vitamins including seven of the B-complex group, amino acids, enzymes, antioxidants, plus antibacterial and antimicrobial agents. Like royal jelly, bee pollen and propolis, some substances in honey cannot be identified, hence they cannot be chemically reproduced.
Honey is the only natural sweetener that doesn't have to be refined. It is the only predigested sugar in nature. Honey DOES NOT contribute to "fat" as white sugar does. Many athletes use honey-water solutions instead of salty, mineral sports drinks for INSTANT ENERGY.
Information above provided by The National Honey Board.
- increases calcium absorption
- can increase hemoglobin count and treat or prevent anemia caused by nutritional deficiencies
- when combined with vinegar, can help arthritic joints
- fights colds and respiratory infections of all kinds
- when used externally, speeds the healing process
- helps gastrointestinal ulcer healing
- works as a natural, gentle laxative
- provides an array of vitamins and minerals
- supplies instant energy without the insulin surge caused by white sugar
Natural (non-processed) honey has not been subjected to the heat of processing, only warmed enough to flow. We select only premium honey that is pure, smooth and creamy, with the consistency of soft margarine. It contains live yeast and enzymes because it has not been processed, and pollen because it has not been filtered, merely screened.
Liquid honey has been heated to melt the honey crystals and filtered to remove foreign material and unmelted crystals. It is unstable—it wants to revert to the crystalline state. Filtering removes nuclei (centers) around which crystals are likely to form. Although we are careful not to damage the honey, heating creates a sharper taste (bite) and inadvertently kills the yeast and enzymes.
Creamed honey is made in the same way as liquid honey (heated and filtered,) but then it is purposely re-crystallized by adding some previously creamed honey. Crystals grow and propagate on the nuclei to form a "firm" product. Hardness depends on floral sources, moisture levels, and storage temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions of the Stinging Kind
How many flowers must honey bees tap to make one pound of honey?
- Unbelievable but true, bees must tap 2 million flowers to make just one pound of honey.
How far does a hive of bees fly to bring you one pound of honey?
- Over 55,000 miles …Yikes, talk about frequent flier miles!
How much honey does the average worker honey bee make in her lifetime?
- 1/12 of a teaspoon
How fast does a honey bee fly?
- 15 miles per hour
How much honey would it take to fuel a bee’s flight around the world?
- About 1 ounce
Why were honey bees at one time called “white man’s flies”
- North American natives called honey bees "white man's flies" because they were brought to North America by European colonists
What is mead?
- Honey wine
How long have bees been producing honey from flowering plants?
- 10-20 million years
How many sides does each honeycomb cell have?
- Six
How many wings does a honey bee have?
- Four
How many flowers does a honey bee visit during one collection trip?
- 50-100
How do honey bees “communicate” with one another?
- Dancing. Honey bees do a dance to alert other bees where nectar and pollen are located. The dance explains direction and distance.
What does “super” mean to a beekeeper?
- The super is the hive box in which honey is stored.