The Story Makers.

The Story Makers.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Oh Honey....

Today I am happy because I get to mark something
off my list of important things to do.
Tina and I have been wanting to purchase a bulk supply of Honey
for some time.
I mostly use it to make homemade bread,
but I also wanted to bulk up the food storage with a supply of this sweet stuff.
I really wanted to purchase locally because I have 
heard there are some excellent health benefits 
for those with allergies.
We have a few in our family that suffer.
Since the pollen is produced here by local bees, 
it is kind of like taking those allergy shots....but way sweeter and a lot less 
painful and costly.
Thought it wouldn't hurt to try.
The Honey Man said it is most beneficial if you take at least 
one teaspoon per day.
EASY.
Baking it will take away some of the benefit...it is better raw by the spoon, 
or in a drink (vita-mix)
or on a piece of toast, or over oat meal.....k...I bet you get the idea.
Today I purchased Wildflower (darker), and Orange Blossom Honey.
They are both very different in taste and both
sooooo scrumptious!!!
The WildFlower honey is a bit more advantageous 
for your allergies because it combines the use of several different pollens.

 Here is where we went.
Got a tip from Melissa Wilson -
It was quite the drive....but I think worth it.
You can see if you are near a Locally produced Honey plant by visiting 
the Honey Locator.
I really need to beef up our food storage ....
this a positive step in the right direction.
What have you done lately to keep working on yours????
Please share and MOTIVATE!!!
P.S. in case you were wondering price - it was $100 for four gallons.
(reg. price is $32 each if you buy less than four)

7 comments:

Melissa said...

That's cool...so how do you prevent it from crystallizing?

HB said...

Hey Melissa stole my question...OR if it does crystalize can you make it smooth again. I think Uncle Jim would know if the bee man didn't tell you. I am so JEALOUS - that honey looks delicious. Did you also get to see the bee hives? HB

Melissa said...

This is what I found on their web site...and pretty much what the gentleman told us yesterday -

Honey sometimes takes on a semi-solid state known as crystallized or granulated honey. This natural phenomenon happens when glucose, one of three main sugars in honey, spontaneously precipitates out of the supersaturated honey solution. The glucose loses water and takes the form of a crystal .
If your honey is crystallized, and you prefer to use it as a liquid, simply place the honey jar in warm water and stir until the crystals dissolve. Or, place the honey in a microwave-safe container with the lid off and microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until the crystals dissolve. Be careful not to boil or scorch the honey. Also keep in mind that you can eat the honey in a crystallized form. Just scoop out of the jar and spread it on your toast or drop it in your tea!

Melissa said...

The thing I really liked hearing is that honey lasts FOREVER!!! Crystallized or not....it was funny when we walked in their little store yesterday, and we said we wanted gallons, T said we like to store a LOT of food. The guy says, oh, are you Mormons? Hehe...you guessed it! Another interesting fact is that this honey farm is actually located on the Church Ranch!! He rattled off all kinds of facts about the mormon cattle ranch being the biggest in the world, etc...... which yes we knew, but still pretty cool.
Yes, we saw loads of hives, they actually have a neat little glass case in the store w/ bees going about their business.
I WISH I would have asked to go out back to see the big honey pourers. They filled our gallons while we milled around the store....we should have followed him and discovered what was out there.

Mamapierce said...

We like to have honey to make homemade granola - so delicious and tasty!

As far as our food storage, I am very passionate about it! Usually after our tax money comes in, we stock up on canned goods. Also, in the summertime, we try to go to the cannery and can items as a family. We have a TON of wheat, rice, beans, sugar, etc. The one thing I've noticed about FL, though, is that we have to store the items INSIDE, otherwise the cans will rust in the garage. :P

Melissa said...

I may need your granola recipe Jill. I have never made my own. We really need sugar right now. I will be hitting the Bishops storehouse next month for our wards service hours....hoping to purchase a bunch then.

Anonymous said...

FYI. I read on some honey health food page not to ever microwave your honey. Does something to the make up of it and looses all the goodness.
SO glad we got our honey! I must say that I have not been a big fan of it in the past, now i have many uses. As for food storage. Proud to say we have 8 moths of storage! According to the food calculator on Emergency Essentials. It has taken a few years to get there and clearly I have 4 more months to stock but getting CLOSE! yippie!