Land of Honey (milk and)

While April showers bring May flowers, those May flowers bring us something just as wonderful: honeybees! And those bees, filled up on sweet nectar, bring us honey. We are blessed in southwest Wisconsin to have multiple natural sweeteners available to us, with many sources of maple syrup, sorghum and honey from local producers. Honey in particular seems to be quite magical both in how it is produced but also its health benefits—I like to think of it as liquid gold.

The full scoop on how honey is made is a bit too in-depth to cover in this article but here are the basics (though you should totally research this sometime, as it is fascinating!): Bees bring nectar back to their hive where enzymes in their saliva break it down into simple sugars. The moisture evaporates out of this liquid sugar in the honeycomb to create a thick syrup concentrate—the honey.

all of the honey in the hive to sell and feed the bees sugar syrup to meet their needs for warmth and energy.

When the honey is ready, beekeepers pull out the frames from the hives that contain the honeycomb, scraping off a wax cap and placing the comb in a centrifuge to remove the honey. This is then strained and bottled; some beekeepers heat and filter the honey further, but raw, unfiltered honey is the gold standard, as it contains more enzymes and many find it has better flavor. You can inquire about honey-making practices with local apiarists before buying their honey if you want to ensure you are buying the most ethical, nutritious honey possible.

If stored properly–in glass jars or food-grade buckets that are sealed to avoid moisture or air getting in–honey has no expiration date and essentially is good forever; its antibacterial properties, low pH and lack of water content make it very shelf stable. With raw, unprocessed honey, crystallization can occur, where the liquid honey starts to harden into crystals. This is totally normal and does not mean the honey has spoiled—it can simply be warmed slightly and the crystals will melt, giving you liquid honey once more.

You may have seen different types of honey, such as clover or wildflower, but these do not actually have added flavors. Rather, the honey is named for the flowers the bees pollinated, and is infused with flavor compounds from the source of the nectar. Clover is the most well-known, but other common types include wildflower, tupelo, buckwheat, acacia, manuka (especially known for its medicinal value and healing properties) and even

Honey can be certified organic when the bees are not exposed to chemicals or fed supplemental sugar and only pollinate organically grown flowers and plants, which would need to grow within their 2-mile average flight radius. This is essentially impossible in much of the U.S. because of the widespread use of pesticides, including in our region, so most certified organic honey is imported from other countries, such as Brazil or New Zealand. It is important to source honey locally when possible, and good quality, unprocessed honey can be found at farmers' markets, co-op grocery stores and health food stores, and directly from local beekeepers, including many in the Amish community.

Though honey is a source of sugar, I truly consider it a health food. Natural honey contains antioxidants like phenols and flavonols, quercetin, prebiotics, amino acids, enzymes, B vitamins, zinc and trace amounts of other vitamins and minerals. Due to its composition of fructose and glucose, many find it does not affect blood sugar in the same way some other sugar- and carbohydrate-rich foods do. Some studies even associate intake of honey with improvements in blood sugar, cholesterol and inflammatory markers. Honey is known for its medicinal properties and has been used in “folk” remedies for thousands of years all over the world, including treatments for coughs, respiratory infections, allergies, gastrointestinal disorders, h.pylori (the bacteria associated with causing ulcers) and for immune support. Honey’s anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties not only can be used as a medicinal food, but also externally, as it has been used for millennia as a topical salve for burns and wound healing, which is truly amazing.

As a food, honey can be used as a sweetener like sugar or maple syrup in cooking and baking, noting that you may have to modify recipes if swapping honey for granulated sugar as it is liquid. Honey can be used in dressings and marinades, drizzled on pancakes instead of syrup, stirred into a hot cup of tea, or used to sweeten yogurt, oatmeal and much more. For medical purposes honey can be taken by the spoonful, mixed into water or teas, or can be used to make herbal honey infusions, switchel (a natural electrolyte drink), and oxymels, a mixture of herbs, honey and vinegars—including the famous fire cider!

Since we know how important pollinators such as bees and their honey are for us as a local food source, it is crucial that we protect them. Bees pollinate so many of the fruits and vegetables that we eat, and even that our meat animals eat, making them and other pollinators an essential part of the local food cycle. Unfortunately, honeybee populations (and wild bees, as well) are decreasing due to pesticide use and farming practices that decrease food for these pollinators. By supporting organic agricultural practices that do not use pesticides that kill bees, you are ensuring that we have bees and honey for generations to come. You can support the local honey industry by purchasing honey from local beekeepers, but also by planting wildflowers that give bees food as well. You may have heard “no farmers, no food,” but this is also true: no bees, no food—so be sure to do your part in supporting local honeybees and beekeepers by getting plenty of delicious, nutritious local honey.

Note: Honey of any kind should be avoided by infants under 1 year old. Diabetics and some with bee allergies may need to avoid honey or check with a healthcare provider before using it as food or medicine.