Honey Tips, Trivia and Recipes
Honey has been used in beauty regimes since the time of Cleopatra and is just as popular today. And we all know why - honey is a good thing! Honey is a natural humectant, which means it attracts and retains moisture. Honey is also an anti-irritant, making it suitable for sensitive skin and baby products. Honey has no additives or preservatives - it's one of the few products that can be packed and sold straight from nature. It requires no processing or refining.
Homemade Honey Beauty Recipes
Honey Cleansing Scrub
Mix 1 tbs. of honey with 2 tbs. finely ground almonds and 1/2 tsp. lemon juice. Rub gently onto face. Rinse off with warm water.
Facial Toner
In blender, puree 1 tbs. honey with a peeled and cored apple. Rinse off with warm water.
Moisture Mask
Mix 2 tbs. honey with 2 tsp. milk or goats milk. Smooth over face. Leave on 10 min. Rinse off with warm water.
Hair Shine
Stir 1 tsp. honey into 4 cups of warm water or rain water. Blondes may wish to add a squeeze of lemon. After shampooing, pour mixture through hair. Do not rinse out. Dry as normal. Rinse with apple cider vinegar if your hair is of chestnut color.
Skin Softening Bath
Add 1/4 cup of honey to bath water for a fragrant, silky bath.
Sweet Relief
Scrapes and abrasions happen often in an active family, but good home treatment can reduce scarring and prevent infection. While honey is a useful treatment for minor scrapes or burns, serious wounds should always receive professional treatment. For the everyday bumps and scrapes, a few simple steps will bring relief: For scrapes, wash the area with soap and water to remove any dirt. For burns, hold the injured area under cold running water until it feels better. Apply honey directly to the scrape or burn to help prevent infection. Use a bandage to cover the area. Reapply honey and a fresh bandage for several days.
Honey's ability to attract and retain moisture also makes it an effective ingredient in skin and hair-care products.
HONEY TRIVIA
How many flowers must bees tap to make one pound of Honey?
Two Million.
How far does a hive of bees fly to bring you one pound of Honey?
Over 55,000 miles.
How much Honey does the average worker bee make in her lifetime?
1/12 tsp.
How many flowers does a honey bee visit during one collection trip?
50-100.
How do honey bees communicate with one another?
"Dancing." Honey bees do a dance which alerts other bees to where nectar and pollen is located. The dance explains direction and distance. Bees also communicate with pheromones (a hormonal substance secreted by an individual which stimulates a behavioral response from an individual of the same species).
- Almost all Egyptian medicines contained honey.
- Honey unearthed 33 centuries after it was buried in the tombs of Egypt was found to be edible when taken from the jars.
- In Greek and Roman mythology, honey was considered food for kings and gods. Taxes were paid with honey.
- Christianity brought with it a great increase in honey production for wax in church candles. The Bible makes numerous mention of honey.
Honey Recipes
KEEP IN MIND WHEN SUBSTITUTING HONEY FOR SUGAR IN RECIPES:
- 1 cup of honey weighs 12 ounces and 1 cup of sugar weighs only 7 ounces, so the sweetening power of honey is greater per cup.
- Use 3/4 cup honey for each cup of sugar
- Reduce the amount of other liquids by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey used.
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda per cup of honey may also be added to neutralize the honey's acidity.
- When making cookies or cakes, add the honey to the shortening/butter gradually, beating constantly. This will help increase volume and a lighter texture in your final product.
- Honey caramelizes at a lower temperature than regular sugar, so reduce your oven temperature by 25-30 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent baked goods from browning too quickly.
Swiss Honey Butter
1/2 cup butter 1/4 cup raw honey 1/2 cup heavy cream
Cream butter until soft, add honey and beat with a mixer until well blended. Add cream slowly, beating until smooth and fluffy. Store in the fridge. Makes 1 cup.
Poor Man's Ice Cream
Raw Honey half & half (or cream) frozen berries
Place a handful of frozen berries in a bowl. Pour half & half or cream over berries. Drizzle with raw honey and enjoy!!!
Pumpkin Pie
1 1/2 cup cooked pumpkin, 1 cup raw honey, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. ginger, 1/2 tsp. mace, 1/2 tsp. ground cloves, 3 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup cream, 1/2 tsp. salt
Beat all ingredients together until well blended and pour into a 9 inch unbaked pastry shell. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream topped with honey.
HONEY BBQ Spareribs
4 lbs of pork spare ribs
1 cup of water
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of honey
1/4 cup of lemon juice
2 tsp. grated lemon peel
2 tsp. grated ginger root
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp. of rosemary crushed
1/2 tsp. crushed red chilies
1/2 tsp. ground sage
Cover ribs in water and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Drain water. Season both sides of ribs with salt and pepper. Place ribs in roasting pan on the rack. Cover with foil at about 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
For BBQ: Boil ribs and simmer for 4 minutes, drain liquid. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Place ribs on BBQ for 30 minutes. per side. Brush meat with honey mixture for the last 15 minutes of cooking time.
Thirst quencher
1 cup of orange juice
1 cup of unsweetened pineapple juice
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1/4 cup of maraschino cherry juice
1 cup ginger ale
2 tablespoons of honey
1 pint of vanilla ice cream
2 tablespoons of maraschino cherries sliced
Mix fruit juices and ginger ale. Add honey and mix well. Chill thoroughly. Add ice cream, stir until well blended. Makes 1 1/2 quarts.
Strawberry smoothie
2 cups of milk
2 cups of fresh mashed strawberries
1/3 cup of honey
Combine and whip until smooth, in blender. Pour into chilled glass and add a scoop of ice cream to each glass.
Maple HONEY
1 cup of honey
1/4 cup of butter
1/4 cup of maple syrup
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Warm gently before serving over pancakes or French toast.