For the Love of Honey {Ideas for Celebrating National Honey Month}

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CCMB-Bee Pollinating2September is National Honey Month!

Personally, I love honey!  Mmmm, oh yes!  I’m grateful for the bees that work so diligently to bring us the ultra sticky, ooey-gooey treat.  I have a cluster of blooming bushes, next to where I park my car, that periodically become over-run with bees, humming and buzzing and working hard.  As a family, we leave them to their task, giving them a wide-birth.

Personal note: So many people are afraid of bees, myself included.  No one wants to get stung, after all, especially those who are severely allergic. It stands to reason those people would be ultra sensitive to a bee in their vicinity.  I am in no way trying to minimize the concern you have to deal with each day. But without the bees, we wouldn’t have honey! They play a significant role in agriculture and their dramatic decline in recent years has many people worried.  If you’d like to read more about this topic, hop on over to The Nature Conservancy and read this great article on bees and agriculture.  If you operate with fear when it comes to bees, hopefully this article will give you another perspective to chew on.

Back to the Honey…

I try to buy local, organic honey whenever possible.   If I can’t get local, I purchase the next best thing and buy organic at a health food store.  I use honey nearly every day in one way or another.   Yes, it is a sugar and we do need to be diligent in how much we consume.  But, the good thing about honey is that our bodies know how to process it since it’s natural. As opposed to less that stellar fake sugars like corn syrup that are so abundant these days. {Stay away from the colored packets folks!  They are not good for you!}

CCMB-Lime2So, how do I use honey?  In my kitchen, honey is in my daily apple cider vinegar drink.  Apple cider vinegar has it’s own health benefits deserving of its own post!  I consume at least one apple cider vinegar drink daily.

Honey and Apple Cider Vinegar Drink Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 4 oz water
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice (you may use lemon if you prefer, but we have a lemon allergy in our home so we stay as far away from lemon as we can)
  • 1 teaspoon organic, local honey
  • 1/8 teaspoon crushed cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients together and drink it down.  It takes some getting used to.  The first few days I thought my doctor was crazy.  But now, my body sorta craves it when I forget to fit it into my day.

Other ways I use honey include sweetening a cup of hot tea, as an add-in to a smoothie, or as a sweetener for sauces while cooking.  Honey is sweeter than sugar, so you can use less of it and get the same, healthier, effect.

CCMB-Honey1Health Benefits of Honey:

  • Sooth a sore throat with this Honey Citrus Soother Recipe
  • It’s antibacterial and anti-fungal!
  • May reduce the risk of some cancers and heart disease

Honey as Natural Skin Care:

Honey is often referred to as liquid gold and is used quite readily as a moisturizer in many over the counter beauty products. These are a few make at home remedies you could try:

Honey as a Natural Energizer:

Did you know that honey is often used by athletes as a quick pick-me-up? It’s a natural energy boost for anyone who needs it. Simply add 1 tablespoon to a glass of water for a quick and healthy homemade energy drink!

It’s All in the {Honey} Sauce:

You can even create some delicious sauces simply by adding honey! These are two of my favorite recipes:

These are only a few uses for honey, but it’s easy to see why honey deserves its own awareness month! Feeling inspired? Take the time to look through all the amazing snippets of information available at The Honey Board and Real Food for Life. Then apply some of what you find to your daily life!

 

What special or unique uses do you have for honey?

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Pam
Pam is a city-girl gone country thanks to her best friend and husband of thirteen years, Johnny. Together, the couple has one son, Caleb {2005.} Pam has four adult children who have blessed her with seven precious grandchildren and the title of Meme’. As you can imagine, she has run the gamut in parenting! Pam has a barn full of chickens, rabbits, and donkeys. Some of her favorites are quality time with Jesus, learning to play golf to keep up with her husband and son, writing when time allows, and, of course, taking care of life on their small ranch. Except for snakes, scorpions, and spiders... her 'cup runneth over.'