Honey

Honey is one of the elixirs of the gods. It cures allergies, acts as an antiseptic and antibacterial, tastes good, is non-fat and is Winnie the Pooh’s favorite scrumptiousness for his tummy.

Updated: A friend reminded me about the one year rule. Children under one year old MUST NOT EAT HONEY. Honey can contain spores of a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum, which does not effect people aged one year and older, but which can germinate in a baby's immature digestive system and cause infant botulism, a rare but potentially fatal illness. So no honey until your child has reached at least one year of age!

Our rural household has relatively recently become local honey central. While we don’t have our own hives (yet), DH often talks about how we should think more seriously about keeping and harvesting our own hives. Perhaps someday…

Our reading about honey comes as a result of our allergies, which everyone in our family suffers. Friends had told us that a teaspoon of local honey taken every day would cure the allergies within a week. Well, we’ve tried it and it does seem to work. When one has a severe allergy attack, one teaspoon twice a day seems to tackle the problem. Mind you, we have tried Claritin and Claritin D, which also work, but make one tired and can cause drug resistance, especially in young children. The honey taken religiously seems to have a prophylactic effect and minimize, or obliterate, the allergies.

We’re often asked, how local is local? Well, we buy honey from local farmers from our town. We’ve been known to buy some from our county outside our town, but generally the more local the better. Hives from down the lane are obviously the best after one’s own hives. But if one doesn’t have harvestable hives and there are none on one’s road, one should be able to buy some at a local farmers market. Ask around, and ask at different farmers market stalls. The hives that are geographically closer to your particular home are the best, but truth be told, all honey is better than no honey.

Honey has been known for millennia as a useful antibiotic, as well as an antiseptic. It seems that it cures and heals people. So if you’re stuck on a hike without a first aid kit or an aloe plant, but you have some honey with you, smear it on your cut, cover it and it will help. Similarly, if you have an upset tummy, take a bit of honey and it will help sooth your stomach. Perhaps that’s why mothers, including mine, give sick children tea with milk and honey.

Honey tastes darn good, and it’s non-fat too. There are constantly new studies coming out regarding the ill affect of sugar and man-made sugar substitutes. Honey remains an all natural, easily stored, healthy option. There is a reason bears and humans have loved it seemingly forever. It’s *that* good!

And lastly, for those of you with small children, and those who would just like to try it, here is a recipe for Winnie the Pooh’s Scrummy Honey Cake*:

Ingredients:

·         1 cup honey plus 2 tbsp for Pooh's glaze

·         ½ cup unsalted (aka sweet) butter

·         1/3 cup dark brown sugar

·         3 large eggs beaten

·         1.5 cups self raising flour

Recipe:

1.       Preheat oven to 320F.

2.       Butter and line an 8" loose bottomed cake tin.

3.       Cut the butter into pieces and put into pan with honey & sugar.

4.       Melt slowly over low heat.

5.       When mixture looks liquid increase heat and boil for 1 minute.

6.       Leave to cool for 15 - 20 minutes.

7.       Beat the eggs into the melted honey mixture.

8.       Sift the flour in a large bowl and pour in the egg and honey mixture beating until you have a smooth, runny batter.

9.       Pour mixture into cake tin and bake for 50 mins - 1 hour.

10.   A skewer pushed into the center should come out clean.

11.   Turn the cake onto a wire rack.

12.   Warm 2 tbsp honey in a small pan and brush over top of cake for sticky glaze.

13.   Eat. J

*Recipe reprinted from Just-Pooh.com

It’s yummy for your tummy too.