Zeke Freeman's The Buzz

Neal Boulton — Tue, 01 May 2012 11:08:31 EDT

The Color
of Honey

What's behind the color of your favorite honey? The nectar source, or the blossoms visited by the honey bees. There are more than 300 unique types of honey available in the United States, each originating from a different floral source. Honey color ranges from nearly colorless to dark brown, and its flavor varies from delectably mild to distinctively bold, depending on where the honey bees visited.

Quite often, light-colored honey is milder in taste and dark-colored honey is stronger. Honey is indeed produced in every state, but depending on the floral source location, certain types of honey are produced only in a few regions. Honey is also produced in most countries of the world.

Here's a look at the inside story behind the color of honey.

Alfalfa

Alfalfa honey, produced extensively throughout Canada and the United States from the purple blossoms, is light in color with a pleasingly mild flavor and aroma.

Avacado

Avocado honey is gathered from California avocado blossoms. Avocado honey is dark in color, with a rich, buttery taste.

Blueberry

Taken from the tiny white flowers of the blueberry bush, the nectar makes a honey which is typically light amber in color and with a full, well-rounded flavor. Blueberry honey is produced in New England and in Michigan.

Buckwheat

Buckwheat honey is dark and full-bodied. It is produced in Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as well as in eastern Canada. Buckwheat honey has been found to contain more antioxidant compounds than some lighter honeys.

Clover

Clover honey has a pleasing, mild taste. Clovers contribute more to honey production in the United States than any other group of plants. Red clover, Alsike clover and the white and yellow sweet clovers are most important for honey production. Depending on the location and type of source clover, clover honey varies in color from water white to light amber to amber.

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus honey comes from one of the larger plant genera, containing over 500 distinct species and many hybrids. As may be expected with a diverse group of plants, eucalyptus honey varies greatly in color and flavor but tends to be a stronger flavored honey with a slight medicinal scent. It is produced in California.

Fireweed

Fireweed honey is light in color and comes from a perennial herb that creates wonderful bee pasture in the Northern and Pacific states and Canada. Fireweed grows in the open woods, reaching a height of three to five feet and spikes attractive pinkish flowers.

Orange Blossom

Orange blossom honey, often a combination of citrus sources, is usually light in color and mild in flavor with a fresh scent and light citrus taste. Orange blossom honey is produced in Florida, Southern California and parts of Texas.

Sage

Sage honey, primarily produced in California, is light in color, heavy bodied and has a mild but delightful flavor. It is extremely slow to granulate, making it a favorite among honey packers for blending with other honeys to slow down granulation.

Tupelo

Tupelo honey is a premium honey produced in northwest Florida. It is heavy bodied and is usually light golden amber with a greenish cast and has a mild, distinctive taste. Because of the high fructose content in Tupelo honey, it granulates very slowly.

Wildflower

Wildflower honey is often used to describe honey from miscellaneous and undefined flower sources.

Whatever your favorite honey, one thing is clear: nature's gift reaches far beyond it's color and lands squarley in it's delicious taste.-The Buzz

Single Varietal Raw Honey > Rare Varietal Raw Honey > Raw Honey Recipes

Neal Boulton — Tue, 01 May 2012 11:07:57 EDT

“

I have always enjoyed sweet things around the holidays. Actually, I tend to enjoy sweet things in general year around. But let's face it-Easter is that one time of year where I know sweet is not only permitted, it's celebrated. For me that has often meant a bit of a drizzle of your raw honey on fruits-especially figs. A true treat.

”Alison T., Sabastopol, CA

Neal Boulton — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 11:16:52 EDT

So
Rare

Raw honey has many beneficial properties-taste being the one we care about most. But science suggest a few more, namely it's vast array of vitamins and minerals and health beneficial antioxidants.

An antioxidant is a molecule capable of inhibiting the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons or hydrogen from a substance to an oxidizing agent. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals. In turn, these radicals can start chain reactions-often harmful over time to the human body because when the chain reaction occurs in a cell, it can cause damage or death to the cell. Antioxidants terminate these chain reactions by removing free radical intermediates, and inhibit other oxidation reactions. They do this by being oxidized themselves, so antioxidants, like those found in raw honey, are often reducing agents such as thiols, ascorbic acid, or polyphenols.

Known antioxidant compounds found in raw honey varry from chrysin, pinobanksin, and vitamin C to catalase and pinocembrin. Unlike most other sweeteners, honey also contains small amounts of a wide array of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants, which include a wide array of vitamins, such as vitamin B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, and pantothenic acid.

What's more, raw honey is composed of two main sugars: levulose and dextrose. Unlike processed table sugar these sugars do not need to be broken down by the digestive process, thus honey is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, giving a quick energy boost to the body. It also contains protein vital for muscle sustanance, and vitamins and minerals, yet no cholesterol.

We still care far more about the taste of raw honey and the myriad of ways you can use it in your everyday cooking. But more and more it seems the evidence is stacked in our healthy favor.

Imagine that-something pleasurable that's also potentially good for you. So rare.-The Buzz

Single Varietal Raw Honey > Rare Varietal Raw Honey > Raw Honey Recipes

Neal Boulton — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:30:04 EDT

Honey Glaze
History?

The meat that is traditionally associated with Easter is ham. Though some might argue that ham is served at Easter since it is a "Christian" meat, (prohibited for others by the religious laws of Judaism and Islam) the origin lies in the early practices of the Pagans of Northern Europe. Honey was also part of the Pagan pantry.

Having slaughtered and preserved the meat of their agricultural animals during the Blood Moon celebrations the previous autumn so they would have food throughout the winter months, they would celebrate the occasion by using up the last of the remaining cured meats. The notion of adding raw honey? Some say it tempered the meat's richness and added yet another layer of celebratory accompaniment.

In anticipation that the arrival of spring with its emerging plants and wildlife would provide them with fresh food in abundance, including honey, it was customary for many Pagans to begin fasting at the time of the vernal equinox, clearing the "poisons" (and excess weight) produced by the heavier winter meals that had been stored in their bodies over the winter.

Some have suggested that the purpose of this fasting may have been to create a sought-after state of "altered consciousness" in time for the spring festivals. One can't help but wonder if this practice of fasting might have been a forerunner of "giving up" foods during the Lenten season-in anticipation of the a feast on delicious foods like honey and ham.-The Buzz

Honey Glazed Ham > Bee Raw Black Sage Honey > About Bee Raw Honey

Neal Boulton — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 09:28:44 EDT

Vegetable
Extinction?

It could happen: the extinction of vegetables crucial for the sustanance of human health-and life. That is, if colony upon colony of honey bee continues to dwindle in size.

Why? Bees, via pollination, are responsible for 15 to 30 percent of the food we eat-that's up to one out of every three bites of food on our tables. But in the last 50 years the domesticated honeybee population has declined by about 50 percent. Unless actions are taken to slow the decline of honeybees and augment their populations with wild bees, scientists warn that many fruits and vegetables may disappear from the food supply.

Bee Decline
The honeybee decline, which is affecting bee populations around the world, is mostly the result of diseases by mites and other parasites as well as the spraying of crops with pesticides.

Among the greatest problems is the varroa mite, a bloodsucking parasite that specifically attacks honeybees. Attacked bees often have deformed wings and abdomens and thus a shortened life span.

Another major bee pest is the tracheal mite, which gets inside adult bees and clogs their breathing tubes, essentially suffocating the insects. The tracheal mites also impede the bees' ability to fly, making them useless as pollinators, entomologists report.

Pest Management
Knowing that the use of pesticides, even those targeted at mites, can be fraught with negative consequences, researchers are devising alternative measures to control the mites.

Toward the top of the list is the search for so-called biological control agents. One such agent scientists are looking at is a fungus that attacks mites but not the bees. However, research has yet to find a way to effectively deliver this fungus to a bee colony.

Researchers are meeting some mite-control success by increasing the ventilation of managed bee colonies. Most colonies are airtight by design, to protect honeybees from the elements. The effect of such systems has been compared to traveling on an airplane.

By opening colonies up to greater ventilation, researchers have found that the mites are less successful at reproducing. The bees can better cope with temperature fluctuations than previously believed.

Additionally, researchers are also busy combing the world's bee populations in search of bees that are resistant to-or have reduced susceptibility to-the mites. If the researchers can isolate the genes responsible for such mite-defying qualities, they could breed those genes into domestic honeybees.

What can the everyday consumer do? Consume more honey. It's the one resource on the planet that is propulgated by the more of it we consume.-The Buzz

The Bee Raw Honey Philosophy > Buying Rare Varietal Honey

Neal Boulton — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 09:28:07 EDT

“

I am a sucker for toast. It's comforting and sort of warming to my heart. Even after work, I'll pop a few thick slices of Ciabatta bread I get on the weekends at my farmer's market, slather them with rich French butter-then drizzle on some California Wild Black Sage honey. Is it just me, or is this heaven!?"

”Laura W., Venice Beach, CA

Neal Boulton — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 09:32:58 EDT

Beating
the
Bloom

Allergies no more? Of course, no scientific studies have concluded that regional honey will reduce allergies, but a great deal of new evidence regarding its immunizing effects is beginning to grow.

The prevailing thinking supports a theory that using regional honey may well serve as an actual vaccine to the human body for several ailments-including your allergies.

A vaccine introduces dummy versions of a particular virus or germ into the body and effectively trick it into believing it's been invaded, triggering an immune system response. This produces antibodies designated to fight off the foreign invaders. When the body is actually exposed to the harmful germ or virus, the antibodies are ready for them. The idea behind eating regional honey is a bit like gradually vaccinating the body against allergens from your region-a process called immunotherapy.

Here is the logic. Regional honey contains a variety of the same pollen spores from the ecosystem you reside within, and it is those pollen spores that hit allergy sufferers with the annoying symptoms that at times can be quite debilitating when flowers and grasses begin to bloom in the spring. The new theory gaining more and more support in the scientific research community is that by introducing those very spores into the body in small amounts by eating honey local to your region could help make the body accustomed to their presence-and begin to decrease the chance an immune system response, like the annoying release of histamine (the active ingredient in those horrible allergies we suffer through), will occur. What makes regional honey even more appealing is that the concentration of pollen spores found in it are low enough that the antibodies produced by our bodies from it won't trigger symptoms similar to an allergic reaction-like blooming flowers do.

What's more, regional honey is produced by bees usually within a few miles of where the person eating that honey lives. There's no real rule of thumb on how local the honey has to be, but proponents suggest the closer the better because the proximity of you to the bees creating the honey increases your chances that the varieties of flowering plants and grasses giving you your allergies are the same kinds that the bees are including in the honey they produce.

According to one unfunded study at Xavier University in New Orleans, researchers divided participants into three groups: seasonal allergy sufferers, year-round allergy sufferers and non-allergy sufferers. These groups were then divided into three subgroups with some people taking two teaspoons of local honey per day, others taking the same amount of non-local honey each day-and the final subgroup not taking honey at all. The Xavier students found that after six weeks, allergy sufferers from both categories suffered fewer symptoms and that the group taking local honey reported the most improvement. T

Because of honey's gaining popularity, more studies have emerged that continue to demonstrate-there's just something about honey that explains why it makes us feel so sweet.-The Buzz

Regional Bee Raw Honey > Single Varietal Honey > Rare Varietal Honey

Neal Boulton — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 09:57:19 EST

Bee
Life

The life span of honey bees varies, depending on the role of an individual bee within its colony. To be sure, each honey bee live in sophisticated, well organised societies-colonies that comprise of a staggering of 50,000 to 60,000 bees, each performing different roles in order to help ensure the smooth running, success-and life-of their colony.

Here is a look at one of the most sophisticated and organized animal lives of our planet.

Queen Honey Bees: A honey bee queen could live for 3 to 4 years, as long as she is free from disease. This is much longer than bumblebee queens or the solitary bee species. However, a queen that produces few eggs may not be favored by the colony. In such a case, a new queen will be produced, and the old queen replaced. This is called supersedure. In some beekeeping practices, the queen is replaced by the beekeeper after one or two years.

Workers: In contrast, workers raised during the spring or summer months may live for only 6 or 7 weeks. Their lives are especially busy, with lots of hungry larvae to feed, and honeycomb to be produced. This is when the colony is at its most productive-with workers busy collecting nectar and pollen for feeding the colony. Workers raised in the autumn have no brood to care for, since the queen stops producing eggs. These workers, together with the queen, comprise the remains of the colony for the year (part of the colony may have left in a swarm, in order to form a new colony elsewhere), and they must huddle together around the queen in order to keep warm during the winter, ready to emerge the following year to begin foraging again in the early spring. At most they may live 4 to 6 months.

Drones: At the most, drones may live for up to 4 months, however, they may survive for just a few weeks. Note that upon mating with the queen, drones die immediately.

Bees: complex, organized, productive, and fascinating.-The Buzz

Buying Bee Raw Honey > Basswood Honey > Star Thistle Honey

Neal Boulton — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:05:57 EST

Presidentially
Perfect

"Swimming in Honey." Because the Washingtons had so many dinner guests, the kitchen bustled with activity day and night. Baking, roasting, broiling, frying and stewing were all accomplished here, both in the fireplace and over piles of hot coals burning at several locations on the hearth.

At least three generous meals were served daily at Mount Vernon. Breakfast was served promptly at 7:00 a.m.; dinner at 3:00 p.m.; and tea at 6:00 p.m. Sometimes a light supper was served at 9:00 p.m. As you can imagine, this schedule meant a long and exhausting day for the team of enslaved workers, including Nathan and Lucy, who did the cooking. Lucy lived in an apartment above the kitchen with her husband Frank, the butler. Assistants or scullions, who lived elsewhere on the grounds, hauled water and wood, washed dishes and cooking utensils, and helped with food preparation.

The recipe below was one of Washington's well known favorites-and the one he accompanied with plenty of raw honey. It was called the Hoe Cake and has been well documented as The President's favorite daily breakfast of choice.

It was Washington's step-granddaughter, Nelly Custis Lewis, whose Hoe Cake recipe was favored. Said Lewis, "He rose before sunrise, always wrote or read until 7 in summer or half past seven in winter. His breakfast was then ready-he ate three cakes swimming in butter and honey, and drank three cups of tea without cream." She later described the recipe in a letter as: "The bread business is as follows if you wish to make 2 1/2 quarts of flour up-take at night one quart of flour, five table spoonfuls of yeast & as much lukewoarm water as will make it the consistency of pancake batter, mix it in a large stone pot & set it near a warm hearth (or a moderate fire) make it at candlelight & let it remain until the next morning then add the remaining quart & a half by degrees with a spoon when well mixed let it stand 15 or 20 minutes & then bake it – of this dough in the morning, beat up a white & half of the yilk of an egg-add as much lukewarm water as will make it like pancake batter, drop a spoonful at a time on a hoe or griddle (as we say in the south). When done on one side turn the other-the griddle must be rubbed in the first instance with a piece of beef suet or the fat of cold corned beef..."

Washington's Hoe Cake Recipe

8 3/4 cups white cornmeal
1/4 teaspoons dry yeast
1 egg
Warm water
Shortening or other cooking grease
Raw honey & Butter (we suggest something mild, like our delicate Basswood or our Star Thistle honey)

1. In large container, mix together 4 cups white cornmeal, 1 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast, and enough warm water to give the mixture the consistency of pancake batter (probably 3-4 cups). Cover and set on the stove or counter overnight.In the morning, gradually add remaining cornmeal, egg and enough warm water to give the mixture the consistency of pancake batter (3-4 cups). Cover and set aside for 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Add cooking grease to a griddle or skillet and heat until water sprinkled onto it will bead up.Pour batter, by the spoonful, onto the hot griddle. (Note: since the batter has a tendency to separate, you will need to stir it well before pouring each batch.) When the hoecake is brown on one side, turn it over and brown the other.

Serve warm with butter and lots of delicious raw honey.-The Buzz

Buying Bee Raw Honey > Basswood Honey > Star Thistle Honey

Neal Boulton — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:05:35 EST

“

Perhaps it's because I am from Seattle and I'm just loyal to my hometown. But I think more than that-I just prefer the ultra richness of your Washington State Buckwheat Honey because it's hearty, and it enhances the meals and drinks I use it in. It truly is the Guiness of honey, and like Washington State, and Seattle, I love Guiness. Thank you Bee Raw."

”David E., Los Angeles, CA