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August 19, 2010

A Taste of Honey

Thursday Thirteen

Honey has been a big topic around our house recently. It’s winter here In New Zealand and with the cold weather comes cold and flu. My husband has been sick, as have my father, sister and mother-in-law. So far, I’ve avoided getting sick. I’ve told everyone it’s all the honey I’ve been eating, and I thought honey would make a good TT topic.

Thirteen Facts About Honey

1. Honey is collected by bees. It’s a 100% natural sweetener and the bees store it in honeycombs until humans collect it.

2. Honey was the main sweetener used in cooking until the end of the Middle Ages.

3. Honey production reduced radically after Henry VIII closed the monasteries. The monks kept bees to make beeswax candles.

4. Early man collected honey by smoking out the bees. This method was illustrated in Egyptian tomb reliefs.

5. When honey ferments and is mixed with water honey ale is produced. Also known as mead, this was produced in countries that didn’t grow grapes or ale-making grains.

6. Egyptians used honey as a sweetener. They also used it as a gift to the gods and during the embalming process.

7. Honey is useful in the treatment of sore throats, coughs and also cuts and burns.

8. Honey never goes off. Jars of 2000 year old honey have been discovered in Egyptian tombs.

9. The flavor of the honey depends on the variety of flowers the bees collect their nectar from. There are lots of flavors available. I like clover honey, manuka honey and pohutukawa honey.

10. Honey comes in different forms – comb, liquid, or solid.

11. Honey is said to have a calming effect.

12. Honey is easily digested and it helps rid the body of foods that don’t pass through as easily.

13. Winnie the Pooh loves honey.

I like honey on toast. Do you like honey?

26 Comments

  1. Anthony North

    Great info on honey. I don’t have it often, but I do enjoy it.

  2. Becky

    I put honey in my tea all the time. It’s adds a wonderful taste to it. I particularly like the last point….anything that Winnie the Pooh likes is good enough for me. :D

  3. Jennifer Leeland

    Oh I love these!!!! You always have such great information. And LOL! On number 13.

  4. Brenda

    I like honey. I used to love sharing honeycomb with my grandfather. He had a friend who raised bees.

  5. Tatiana Caldwell

    For the longest time, I thought I didn’t like honey. I’ve only recently discovered how vastly dissimilar different brands of honey can taste. So yes, I do like honey, I especially like to use it to sweeten my tea.

  6. Darla

    My favorite bread and fruit salad recipes all use a touch of honey. Good stuff!

  7. Cari Quinn

    I didn’t know honey never went off! Excellent information. I need to eat more of it. :)

  8. Colleen Love

    I loooove honey! I use it on/in anything I can! :) My favorite is orange blossom honey and blackberry honey! :)

    Just for the sake of interest, I’ve just recently read that people find allergy relief from their local honey, as well! Small amounts of pollen allergens are in the honey and act as an immunity booster (http://www.allergyconsumerreview.com/natural-home-remedies-honey.html).

    Great TT! :)
    Hugs
    C~

  9. Maddy Barone

    I LOVE honey! Every year I go camping up at Lake Winnipeg in Canada and there’s always a local vendor selling his home harvested honey. I buy enough to get through the year. I always buy a plain clover type honey, and get two jar of “mixes”. I lvoe the apple honey and the chocolate honey. I’m out right now, but it’s only a few weeks away to delicious fresh homey.

  10. Maria D.

    I like honey in my tea and use it as a regular beverage during the winter. I do want to say that giving honey to children under the age of 2 is not recommended as it can be dangerous for them.

  11. Elise Logan

    bacteria won’t grow in honey, either, so honey poultices are extremely good for wounds.

    honey is fab stuff!

  12. Heather

    I did not know honey could be used for cuts and burns. Interesting. I especially like it with chicken. Mmm…

  13. Yvette Davis

    What Maria said. Honey can be deadly to babies and small children who still lack the enzyme to digest it. Weird but true! It’s 100 degrees in Wenatchee so not honey season here quite yet. Take care!

  14. Shelley Munro

    Maria – yes! I meant to add that in. All the stuff I read said that honey shouldn’t be given to a child under one, but if it were me I’d check with a doctor before giving a child honey.

  15. Shelley Munro

    Becky,

    LOL – Winnie the Pooh always cracks me up with his honey. I loved the part where he got stuck in Rabbit’s doorway.

    My husband uses honey to sweeten his coffee.

  16. Shelley Munro

    Tatiana – it’s surprising how different honey can taste from different hives. My father lets a man put several hives on his farm and the honey is particularly good, but they’re not sure what flowers the bees are using!

  17. Shelley Munro

    Colleen,

    Thanks for the link. That’s very interesting.

  18. Shelley Munro

    Maddy – I haven’t heard of chocolate honey. That sounds like something I might like!

  19. Shelley Munro

    Yvette – thanks for that. You’re quite right. Evidently some adults can’t eat honey either.

  20. Janice Seagraves

    I love honey. Especially between two slices of bread. Oh, I could eat some right now. Yum.

    Happy TT.
    Janice~

  21. N.J. Walters

    Love honey on toast. That’s what I’m having for breakfast. :)

  22. Mary

    I actually will not eat honey. All I can think is that it’s Bee spit. ewwww and I completely loathe bee’s.

  23. Jill Conyers

    Honey also helps seasonal allergies if it’s produced where you live. According to my father in law :)

  24. Kaye Manro

    Nice 13! I love honey for sure!