ALL ABOUT THAT SWEET HONEY!

Yumm Yumm! Here is a delightful treat that is sought after tremendously in several areas! I was lucky enough to run across a bee keeper having a yard sale on my trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway. I'm curious to know if this kind of pure honey is available in your area? It seems to "bee" a dying art that only very few people now a days take part in.

Over the years, I have noticed a decline in this type of honey, especially with the comb in it! I have yet to see any honey in a super market that has the comb inside. For those that don't know, the honeycomb is made of bee's wax and contains the purest form of honey.

Honeycomb is actually good for you from what I know at least. I'm not a doctor or a nutrition expert but from what I've been told from bee keepers and other reputable sources, it helps lower your bad cholesterol and raise the good. It is also believed to help the function of your liver. It seems like there are other benefits from it geared towards improving your hair or skin but I can't confirm that. It just seems like I heard that at some point in my life, maybe one of my readers will know? One thing to note though: As with every other thing in the world, moderation is key and too much of a good thing an "bee" bad for you and honey is no exception. Okay, I will quit with the "bee" puns.

Here is a photo of some honey that I had in the cupboard that has crystallized.

Honey crystallization happens at different times for different types of honey. Yes, there are different types of honey. There's actually hundreds of different types but the type that is most common in my area is Sourwood Honey, which is also what is pictured in this post. I'm not sure how long it took the jar I have to crystallize but it was a long time. I know temperature has something to do with it and my house stays at around 70 degrees. The darker jar of honey pictured below has been in our cupboard for over a year if that tells ya anything.

So does honey go bad? Maybe, I don't think so though. This next picture doesn't look all that appealing but I tasted it just now and it's totally fine. As a matter of fact, some people prefer honey broken down like this because it's easier to spread on a piece of toast or a good ol' sammich! If your honey becomes this thick, you can always stick it in a pot of warm water and it will liquefy again BUT each time that you do that, it takes away the nutrients, flavor and aroma so if you have to keep heating it up, it's probably best to get a fresh jar. I've just heard that it never goes bad so....

Doesn't look as yummy as the first pictures, huh?

I'm curious about the honey in your area! Tell me what kind you have, if it's readily available or hard to find, is it all processed or is it in it's purest form like mine and how much is it? If you have any other knowledge about honey or health benefits, please let us know!

This is what I paid for the quart pictured at the beginning of the post

The fine folks (Elderly couple in their 70's) that made and sold this to me said that many people were complaining about the price they were asking for it. They also said that if they knew how much work went in to that jar, they wouldn't be complaining. The price seemed more than fair to me and I don't haggle on someones prices, unless it's obviously marked up for haggling purposes and then I still don't like to do it. But I used to work on farms in my younger years so I know it can be tough to turn a profit for such hard work. Hope ya'll enjoyed this lil post about my yummy honey!