Honey the Amazing Food

   Honey bees have been in Europe and Asia for hundreds of thousands of years. Honey has been found in the tombs of ancient Egyptian Pharos. Men harvesting honey have been found painted on the walls of caves by prehistoric man.

   Honey is being rediscovered as a natural source of energy that also offers a unique combination of nutritional benefits. It is an instant energy-building food containing all the essential minerals necessary for life, all of the B complex group, amino acids, enzymes, and other vital factors. Honey is also virtually free of bacteria and rarely spoils. It is best kept at room temperature

Honey is a natural sweetener and can be used in many recipes as a replacement for sugar. It is one of the easiest foods to digest. Honey also contains hormones, and anti microbial and antibacterial factors. It has been used to combat depression, fatigue, insomnia, nervous disorders, urine retention, cramps, headaches, and high blood pressure. Honey also has been known to beautify and soothe the skin. It is said that honey can clear many skin disorders. Honey has a laxative, sedative, antitoxic, and antiseptic effect. It can also act as an anti-irritant, making it suitable for sensitive skin and baby care products. Honey could soon be marketed as a way to combat the effects of ageing.  Honey has been used for centuries to treat coughing and other effects of infections in the upper respiratory system and is known to combat bacteria as well as having a soothing effect.

   Honey bees are the only insects that make food for us. Honey is a sweet, thick sugary solution made by bees. Bees make honey from the nectar of flowers. They will travel as far as 40,000 miles and can visit over 2 million flowers to produce one pound of honey. Honey bees are responsible for about 80% of all fruit, vegetable and seed crops in the United States. Honey comes in all types of colors and flavors from nearly colorless to dark brown and its flavor varies from delectably mild to distinctively bold, depending on where the honey bees buzzed. Pollen analysis is a valuable tool for honey identification, however it should be pointed out that this is always used in conjunction with other information before a final determination is made.

   Varietal honeys like wild crafted raspberry honey, wild crafted blackberry honey, orange blossom honey, California chestnut honey, wild crafted star thistle honey, not to mention the occasional rare variety like meadow foam honey are some of the fine honeys. Comb honey is the most natural honey of all. Honey vary's in color and flavor, because there are so many different kinds of nectar-producing flowers.  Varietal honey is rarely 100% of any one type of flower nectar but a blend from bee yards with a predominance of one type of flower forage.  Honey is a reflection of the place from which it is harvested, even more so than wine.  Honey is produced in every state, but depending on the floral source location, certain types of honey are produced only in a few regions.  Honey is also produced in most countries of the world. Honey is unlike any other ingredient in nature. It is a safe and wholesome food for children and adults alike.

   Commercially produced honey is filtered and pasteurized (sometimes even diluted with syrup), so the amount of bee pollen in it is probably low, hence the belief that allergy cases related to the consumption of honey are rare.  Various ingredients of honey have helped it to become not only a sweet liquid but also a natural product with high nutritional and medicinal value.