All About Honey

Honey is one of nature's best energy foods because it contains many carbohydrates. It is different from cane sugar (also an energy food) because honey also contains small amounts of proteins, vitamins, and minerals. It is actually the only food that can sustain life because it contains all the substances necessary to sustain life!

Honey comes from honeybees and needs no refining or processing for human consumption. Once the bees deposit it into their honeycomb, beekeepers collect it by scraping the comb, extracting the liquid, and sometimes filtering it, depending on what type of honey you buy.

 

Flavor, aroma, and color of honey vary with the kind of flowers from which the bees gather the nectar to make the honey. As a rule, the lightest colored honeys are the mildest Over half the honey produced in this country is light-colored, mild-flavored Clover honey (also called, Sweet Clover and Alfalfa honey).

When you buy honey, Grade A is best, however Grade B and C are safe and edible as well. Honey has an indefinable shelf life! Some people think that when honey crystallizes it means it has gone bad. This is not so! Crystallization is a natural and does no harm to the honey. To bring back crystallized honey to its liquid form, place the container of honey in a pan with warm water until the crystals disappear. Or you can even warm the honey itself in a pan. Just don't overheat it because that could change the flavor of your honey.

Honey keeps best in a dark, dry place at room temperature. Because honey loses flavor and aroma and absorbs moisture and odors when exposed to air, a cover is necessary. Plastic, glass, ceramic, anything is fine. However, we like the simplicity of heating honey in a glass container opposed to plastic.