December 18th is National “I Love Honey” Day. While we don’t know the origins of this holiday, we are certainly jumping on board to celebrate! As versatile and unique as it is delicious, there are so many reasons and ways to celebrate our favorite natural sweetener, and today we are sharing five of our favorites.
1: Pure & Natural Energy
Providing 17 grams of carbohydrates (the primary fuel the body uses) and just 64 calories per tablespoon, honey is a natural source of energy that is easy to work into your daily routine. Combining honey with fruits, vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, and other healthful foods can add to your total nutrition and give you a great natural energy boost, as showcased in our Honey-Quinoa Breakfast Bake. Filled with good-for-you ingredients like quinoa, berries, nuts, and honey, this dish is sure to fill you up and fuel your day.
2: Extends Shelf Life
There is no denying that honey adds delicious flavor and the perfect touch of sweetness to our favorite baked goods, but did you know that it can actually help extend the shelf life of these baked goods? In addition to acting in baked goods as a humectant, honey’s antimicrobial properties delay spoilage and extend the shelf life of your favorite bakery treats including cookies, cakes, granola bars, and bread. With the holidays in full swing, we are celebrating honey’s unique properties by baking up a holiday classic, Baklava, and thanks to honey we’ll be enjoying all season long!
3: A World of Flavor
Walk into any grocery store or Farmer’s Market stand and you will see multiple flavors of honey, but did you know that there are more than 3,000 varietals of honey found worldwide? Whenever we bring out varietals at the various trade shows and events we attend we always get asked: “So how do you add the flavor?” And the answer is simply that “We don’t.” The fact is that all of the flavor notes and other characteristics that differentiate each unique honey is all due to the work of the honey bees. As honey bees pollinate, they pick up subtle nuances of the plants they visit that make their way into the honey they create. A perfect example of this is Orange Blossom honey, which features a bright citrus flavor that reminds consumers of the orange groves of California and Florida, which is exactly where the honey bees were hanging out! A great way to explore the world through honey is by creating a cheese board featuring several honey varietals. You can check out our tips on creating the perfect cheeseboard.
4: Locks in Natural Juices
We spoke earlier about honey acting as a humectant in baked goods, but did you know that this characteristic also benefits your roasted, grilled, smoked – or however you like to cook – meats. By drawing and retaining moisture, honey locks in your meats’ natural juices to ensure that your favorite chicken, steak, lamb or roast comes out juicy and tender, just like in our Honey Glazed Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin.
5: Sweetens & Enhances Naturally
We have touched on honey’s various benefits and characteristics that make honey unique, but we can’t overlook that honey is first and foremost sweet, which is actually to its advantage. From blossom to bottle, honey’s journey is as natural as it gets, brought to you by the honey bees and the hands that tend to them, and is an ideal natural sweetener to include in your favorite recipes, including beverages. But although honey adds the perfect amount of sweetness to a beverage, it also imparts unique flavor while balancing and enhancing other ingredients, making it an ideal ingredient for everything from your most complex cocktails to simple drinks, such as coffee or our Honey Pot Cider.
Bonus: Honey Helps Bees
Not only does honey help take your recipes to the next level, but your purchase of honey, whether from the Farmer’s Market or your local grocer, helps support the honey industry and the honey bees that make it all possible. We often get asked how people can help the bees, and continuing to buy and enjoy honey is actually the easiest way to help. This simple act helps to fund life-saving honey bee research and ensures that our little friends will keep on buzzing!
