Sweet as Honey

Honey is becoming my number one sweetener in everything from my coffee, tea, sweets, and more.  It is a natural sweetener that has been around since bible times. Proverbs 16:24 Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Raw honey can be used for medicinal needs. Use raw honey for antibacterial purposes, for allergies and a cold, and for a burn and wound.  I used raw honey to help fade a scar. It worked!

I can’t tell you that I always liked using honey for a sweetener. I did not get on the bandwagon until the last couple years. Honey has really evolved.

Honey was not my favorite because it had an overwhelming flavor.  When I used it in baking I could taste the flavor in the baked good which I disliked.  What I have learned is that there are different types of honey.

I have showcased four types of honey in the picture above. For medicinal purposes, local honey is great for those with allergies. Beelicious Honey is out of Hattiesburg, MS just up the road from where I live.  In January, I was the opening night chef at Chefdance, a 5 night culinary event within the Sundance film festival. I wanted to give the diners a taste of Mississippi with not only the dishes served but with the ingredients used as well. Beelicious Honey was gracious enough to provide me with their small bottles of honey to go with each of my Southern bread boards to accompany the mini cornbread loaves and olive oil biscuits.

    

 You can order it at http://www.beelicioushoney.com/ Their classic honey has a nice balanced flavor. I would use it for baking, making granola, and drizzling over pancakes. Check out their other varieties- orange blossom, blackberry, and tupelo.

The next honey is a milder honey. It has a lighter color. The color of the honey usually indicates how strong the flavor will be from dark (intense) to light (mild). It is Savannah Bee Company’s Tea Honey. I love that this company offers a pump that fits on their bottles. It makes it easily accessible for sweetening my coffee and tea.

Next to it is another Savannah Bee Co. honey which is their black sage honey. I like that you can buy honey in this size. It is a nice sampler size.  This honey according to the company is “rare, made only 4 out of 10 years. It has an extraordinary mild flavor with notes of apple, berry, and vanilla. It never granulates.”  I would use this honey to accompany a cheese plate. I would want to highlight its delicate flavor and not mask it in a baked good.

As mentioned above the Savannah Bee Co. says that their black sage honey will not become granular. If your raw honey does, it does not mean that you need to throw it away. It is still good. Do not put it in the microwave to melt it! Place the glass jar in a bowl of hot water until the honey melts.

The last honey pictured is Braswell’s Cinnamon Honey. It is the darker of the honeys pictured so that means it will have more of a stronger honey flavor. The cinnamon definitely comes through. I would use some of this honey mixed with a classic honey in making granola. It would also be good drizzled over a warm buttered slice of toast.

Unique ways to use honey- at my local pizza shop, Deb’s pizza place, you will find honey on the tables to have with your pizza crust. It is the perfect dessert! I have been dipping my pizza crust in honey for years. Another use for honey is drizzling honey over a buttered corn-on-the-cob. I have not tried it but was told it is good for corn that is not that sweet. Give these a try and let me know what you think.

If you think that is all the honey varieties, uses, etc. than you are wrong. There is more!

On the left is more from Savannah Bee Co., I have a little crush on them. Their winter white honey is divine! It is a thick creamy honey. I love to warm it and drizzle it over a hot crusty biscuit. You will want to drown your biscuit, slice of pound cake, etc. in this honey. It is that good.

Next is something I found unusual. A chocolate sauce by Magnolia Honey Co. out of Woodville, MS which is only sweetened with honey. I knew when I saw it that I had to try it. It has a rich chocolate flavor.

I think there is something special about honey. Honey is mentioned 61 times in the bible. The promised land was described in Exodus as a land flowing with milk and honey. Doesn’t that just sound amazing.